Head to Head
by malfoymaiden
Summary: Head duties, planning balls, patrolling, bickering: normal behavior. Kissing in closets, dancing, snogging the DADA teacher, becoming friends: ? It's everyone's favorite Head Boy and Girl! Rated for safety.
1. Hermione's Legs

Hey everyone! Thanks for clicking. Hope you enjoy :)

Oh, and HBP didn't really happen. Dumbledore's alive.

Today is June 5, 2009, Draco's 29th birthday. Happy Birthday, Draco! This is for you, with lots of love. lol

Disclaimer: I own nothing. :) Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. I just wish she'd give me Draco :))

* * *

It was an unusually sweltering hot day. The blaring sun dominated the cloudless sky. Hermione Granger looked up at it through the sunglasses that she decided to wear to King's Cross Station, where she would be boarding the Hogwarts Express in a short while.

Once she reached Platform 9 ¾, she looked around cautiously. No one that she knew was around, and she was thankful for it. Quickly, she took the sunglasses off, opened her trunk, and shoved it inside. She quickly re-did the first three buttons of her school uniform, but opened the first one almost immediately. It was way too hot. She was also planning to unroll her sleeves but she decided against it. She looked around again, and when she was sure that no one was looking, she clutched her trolley, pushed it forward, and broke into a run.

* * *

He looked over at her, shaking his head. She didn't think that anyone had seen her. But then, he had.

He noticed that she was alone this year. For the past few years, she had come with the Weasleys, and for the first two, she'd been with her parents.

He also noticed that she'd gotten even hotter over the summer. Her wild brown locks had been pulled up into a messy bun, probably because of the heat. He'd seen her state before she thought of fixing herself. She had some of her shirt buttons open, and her skirt had probably been unknowingly hitched up; it was shorter than usual. This allowed him to check out her slim, slightly tanned legs. They looked even longer and more toned than usual. He wondered what she'd been doing. She had also been wearing some sexy oversized sunglasses. When she took those off, she looked even sexier. Her hazel eyes had always been sexy and beautiful at the same time.

He realized what he just thought. He wanted to shove himself for knowing all those bits of information.

He shook the thoughts off and was brought back to earth. She had started to run. He couldn't help staring, and he appreciated the way her bum bounced. He watched it until it disappeared.

Sighing, he pushed his own cart forward. He was alone, too. His father was in Azkaban and his mother had been feeling "under the weather". Normally, she would never let him go alone, but this time she was content to fuss over him and kiss him away at the privacy of their home, where no one would be whispering or glaring.

He made his way to the barrier calmly, unlike the girl who had just passed through.

* * *

Hermione looked around, looking for any sign of her friends. As she did so, she noticed that several people were looking at her. She had taken off her sunglasses, hadn't she? She wondered if it was the buttons. Dean Thomas passed by, and she waved at him. He waved at her, or rather, at her legs. She glanced down and realized that her skirt was shorter than usual. She hastened to pull it down before her Harry and Ron---

"'Mione!"

Too late.

Shocked, Hermione forgot all about her skirt and looked around for Ron's voice. She saw him running towards her, with Harry in tow. Ginny was following close behind. Hermione noticed that Ron got even taller over the summer. He was probably a six-footer now. Ginny, however, was still her short self. All three of them had their sleeves rolled up because of the heat. All three of them had muscled arms (Ginny's were less muscled, of course), probably acquired from playing Quidditch in the Burrow's backyard. Hermione knew that Harry had been at the Burrow ever since he turned seventeen.

"Hey you guys!" Hermione said. Ron gave her a small hug, but he quickly pulled back, grinning awkwardly. His eyes wandered off to her legs, staring for a moment. He grasped what he'd done and quickly looked at his feet. Harry's eyes did the same. He quickly looked away, though. After a while, Ginny elbowed them aside and hugged Hermione properly.

"How was Italy?" Harry asked, his face containing a faint trace of pink. He subtly gave Ron's back a slap.

"It was great, actually," she said, smiling.

"Were there any hot guys?" Ginny said with a laugh.

Hermione smiled. "Maybe." Ron looked up.

Ginny tutted. "Tsk, tsk, Hermione. We would've loved to have you in the Burrow, but it turns out you were busy hooking up with hot Italian guys. Too bad Ron---"

"Er, so, 'Mione, do you know who's Head Boy yet?" Ron interrupted. His ears were red.

"Um, no," Hermione said. She was a bit red herself. She glanced at Ron. She had to admit that she knew he wouldn't be made Head Boy. She glanced hopefully at Harry.

"Nope, sorry," Harry said with a smile. "Just Quidditch Captain again. "

"You'll know soon enough," said Ginny. "In the meantime, help us find a compartment."

* * *

He watched her and her friends as they heaved their trunks into the trunk compartment. He had heard their conversation. A lot of things were obvious. Her tan was obviously acquired in Italy. Weasley obviously had a thing for her. His sister was obviously close with her, but she was a liiittle bit jealous about Potter's quick (but obvious) little check-out.

Actually, he was jealous, too. He knew the thing about Weasley, but Potter? He was her best friend; why'd he have to look at her like that? Heck, why did every single guy in Platform 9 and 3 ¼ have to look at her like that? And when asked about the existence of attractive Italian boys, she had said, "Maybe". What did that mean? Did she have a fling back there?

He calmed himself down. He wasn't supposed to be thinking these thoughts, anyway. After all, he would be spending quite a lot of time with her.

He saw them step into the train. After some time, he made his way inside. He entered the compartment marked "Heads'".

* * *

"Hey, guys, um," Hermione muttered, "I have to go to the Heads' Compartment now." They had reached a free compartment where Harry and Ginny could stay.

"I'll walk with you," Ron said. He had to go to the Prefects' Compartment. They left Harry and Ginny alone. "Oy, don't snog too much!" Ron managed to tease before they were completely out of ear-shot. Hermione laughed.

They walked towards the head of the train together. By now, Hermione had hitched her skirt down. Fewer people were staring, thank God. They reached the Prefects' Compartment. "Good luck, Hermione," he said, patting her back.

"Thanks," Hermione said, managing to give him a small smile. She wondered why his pat on her back had failed to send small butterflies into her stomach as she walked further along. Finally, she reached the Heads' Compartment.

Taking a deep breath, she touched the compartment door and put a big smile on her face.

* * *

The compartment door slid open, and Hermione Granger stood there, smiling stupidly.

He thought he she looked stupid and cute at the same time. He smirked.

She saw who was standing in front of her. The smile was immediately wiped off her face.

"MALFOY?"

* * *

:D Review? Please and thank you. :)


	2. Snape's Underpants

Okay, it's 3:39 PM, June 6 in my country, but in the West it's probably only June 5. I'll wish Draco a happy birthday again. Happy Birthday, Draco! I still love you. And this is still for you. LOL

Wolfdog Delly: Oh. Well somewhere here's a description of Draco. Maybe you'd like it, too (but not as much, I guess?) Thanks. :))

Thanks to GirlieGirl127 , XxLaydee-PreciousxX , and Firestorm 21 for adding this story to their Favorite Stories lists. :D

And thanks to Justice's Quill, signy33, and q-aldis for adding this story to their Story Alert lists. :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing. JK Rowling, possible the luckiest woman alive (okay...one of them, anyway), owns Harry Potter.

* * *

"My, my, Granger," Draco Malfoy drawled. "I didn't know you missed me that badly."

Hermione scowled. "Dream on, Malfoy," she muttered, shutting the door with a slight bang. Draco Malfoy. She should've known. After all, he was almost always second best. Often, he'd beat her in Potions and D. A. D. A. Somehow, she never thought of Malfoy, because of his foul attitude. She might've also crossed Malfoy off the list because she simply wanted to.

"Who'd you expect?" Draco asked her, sneering. "Weasley?"

"No," she blurted out. Before he could say anything, she cried, "Well...Harry, at least!"

"Too bad, Granger," he said, "You're stuck with me."

His voice had softened a little bit. She turned to look at his face. It had softened, too, but only for a second. His silver eyes had their usual mixed expression of boredom and malice back. She couldn't help notice, though, that his lashes were dark and not blonde. Also, they were almost as long and as curved as she would like a guy's lashes to be (secretly, she had always liked Blaise Zabini's lashes, and she used these as a standard). She also noticed that his silky platinum blonde hair, which had hung loose since their third year, looked tousled. He must've been running his fingers through it. The effect was sexy.

She proceeded to look at the rest of him, where there would be no scowls or smirks. He wasn't wearing his school shirt yet. He had on a white t-shirt with the uniform trousers. The t-shirt was of thin material, and Hermione could see that he had broad shoulders, a lean chest, and muscled arms, like Ron's and Harry's. He had also gotten taller, and he was probably as tall as Ron now. She remembered a time last year when she heard Parvati and Lavender whispering about hot guys back in her dorm; they had called Malfoy the Slytherin Sex God.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tutting sound.

"My, my, Granger," he drawled. "I know I'm hot, but don't stare too much. The weather is already too much to bear, and now I have to endure your heated staring, too…"

Hermione snapped out of her trance and was disgusted at both Malfoy and herself. "I wasn't staring at you!" she lied. "I… I was thinking about something…"

"Me, obviously," he cut in. "You don't fool me, Granger. Sorry to leave you wanting more, but I believe I have better things to do. Bye now."

He left her blinking and very much alone in the compartment.

"Wait!" Hermione cried out after a moment too long. "What about Head duties?"

* * *

Draco walked away from the Heads' Compartment, smirking. Granger was definitely checking him out. He strutted along the hallways, feeling really good. He looked for his best friend. The train had started moving.

A compartment door slid open and out came a tall boy with tan skin, styled black hair and distinct slanted eyes.

"Zabini! There you are," Draco said.

"Draco! Help me, mate," Blaise pleaded, panting. "I can't… I can't go back in there. It's Pansy, she's been looking all over for you…and Bulstrode, she's been trying to molest me for ten whole minutes---"

"BLAISEY? Where are you?" called a voice from inside the compartment.

Blaise whimpered.

"Thank God I didn't tell Pansy I was Head Boy," Draco muttered.

"I don't care what else you don't tell Parkinson; let's just get out of here!" Blaise exclaimed.

"Calm down," Draco said. He pushed Blaise forward. "Come on."

Together, they ran. Draco led Blaise to the Heads' Compartment.

Blaise reached it first. He quickly entered. Draco shut the door just in time; he started to hear Millicent Bulstrode coming out of her compartment (judging by the heavy thuds of the footsteps, it was probably her).

He and Blaise stood there, panting like dogs.

Hermione looked startled. After a while, she smiled. She quipped, "Been chased by hags, Malfoy?"

She didn't expect that he would say yes.

* * *

An hour after Draco and Blaise had come into the room, panting, the witch with the food cart came by. Hermione tiptoed over to her and bought some Licorice Wands and Cauldron Cakes for herself. She quietly thanked the lady and, even more quietly, returned to her spot on the floor.

Blaise and Draco were sleeping. Hermione went patrolling shortly after they went in, and when she came back, they were already slumped over the seats, fast asleep. Hermione was thankful for this; she didn't want to have to put up with any of their possible taunting, or worse, insults.

She sat on the floor, rereading her copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ and nibbling on a Licorice Wand.

As she read about moving staircases, she couldn't help wondering back on what happened earlier. She had been checking Malfoy out! And what was worse, she actually found him more attractive than usual.

She shut her eyes.

_No_…she said to herself. You did not just think that. _He's a prat, Hermione! He's the ferret who_…

…_has nice eyelashes, sexy hair, and groovy arm muscles?_ interjected another side of Hermione' brain_._

…_the ferret who calls you a filthy, know-it-all Mudblood every chance he gets! _finished the first voice_._

Hermione opened her eyes in slight shock. She realized that not once did he call her that today. She couldn't help but smile.

Unbeknownst to her, a certain Slytherin was secretly staring.

* * *

Draco and Blaise were changing into their robes as the train came into a stop. They had reached Hogwarts. The sun was just setting.

"Where's Granger?" said Blaise, looking outside. Students had begun to come out of the train. "Have you noticed? She's looking really hot this year. Her legs…" he trailed off.

Draco shrugged, trying to look like he didn't give a damn. Blaise rolled his eyes but said nothing. He had noticed that Draco had cringed upon hearing "her legs".

They saw her at last. She was with Potter, the two Weasleys, Loony Lovegood, and Longbottom. They walked over to the carriages.

Draco gasped when he saw the creatures pulling the carriages. They were bony, horse-like creatures with wings. He stood there, staring at them, transfixed. He remembered that they were called thestrals.

He remembered a particular Care of Magical Creatures lesson back in their fifth year. Although he spent most of it making fun of his teacher, Hagrid, he still managed to listen to what he was saying about thestrals. Only people who've witnessed a death could see them.

Granger and her gang all reached out to stroke and pet the one pulling their carriage. Of course, they were bound to see the thestrals; they've all seen Sirius Black die. As the others were climbing into the carriage, Loony Lovegood stayed behind to feed it some raw meat. Potter was right behind her. After a while, to Draco's surprise, Harry helped Luna into the carriage like a gentleman.

"Are you alright, mate?" Blaise asked him as they walked out of the compartment.

Draco waited until they were out of the train and had clear view of the carriages. "Can you… see the thestrals?" he said in a low voice.

Blaise looked at him and paused for a moment. "Who did you see...?"

Draco swallowed and looked away. One night over the summer, he had seen his father and a couple of Death Eaters torture and kill an old Muggle woman. A couple of weeks later, they were arrested for being suspected Death Eaters. "Not here."

Blaise nodded. He knew Draco didn't really want to talk about it.

"Whatever, mate, let's just hop on a carriage before Pansy and Bulstrode see us," Draco muttered.

And so they did.

* * *

"Herbayee, tie the chocket ping, sgreat!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ron. "Wow, Ron. I understand perfectly."

Ron swallowed and said, "Try the chocolate pudding, it's great."

"No thanks," Hermione said absentmindedly. Her eyes strayed to the Slytherin table, where Draco and Blaise were having a whispered conversation over their mince pies.

Harry turned to where Hermione was looking. "Are you worried about Malfoy?" Earlier, Hermione had told them about Malfoy becoming Head Boy. He and Ron reacted negatively and both promised to "kick Malfoy's arse if he tried anything".

"I'll kick his arse if he tries anything," said Ron after a gulp of pumpkin juice.

"I know," Hermione said, laughing. "I don't think he will, anyway, so don't worry."

After some time, Professor Dumbledore stood up for his usual reminders. Then, he pointed to the empty spot on the staff table which no one had noticed. "As you can see, we have yet to seek for a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Everyone started whispering; they had not noticed the empty seat. "We might get one sometime in November, but in the meantime, your Professors will take turns in teaching you. Now, off you go. Prefects, take the lead." The Great hall grew noisier as the students rose to leave.

Professor McGonagall approached Hermione. She had brought Draco with her.

"Congratulations, Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy," she said to both of them. "Follow me." She led them to fifth floor. They stopped in front of a painting of a knight and a lady. "This is your dormitory. You are to share a common room and a bathroom. You are to assign the prefects' duties and organize patrolling. Choose a password. I must leave you now, do try not to bite each others' heads off." And she swept her emerald green robes and left them without another word. She seemed to be in a hurry, and she seemed to be avoiding something that would happen if she stayed too long.

"I can't believe I have to share a bathroom with you, Malfoy," Hermione muttered. "Your hair products can't possibly fit in the shelves."

"Ah, but Granger," Draco drawled, "Aren't you glad? At least you can borrow from me. You can certainly use one." He eyed her hair, which was now hanging loose. The heat earlier had made it frizzy.

Hermione turned a bit pink. "Let's just choose a password, Malfoy."

"Alright, then," Draco said. He turned to look at the lady in the painting. "Well hello there," he said in a suave voice. The lady blushed.

"I don't think that's a very good password," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. She said the first thing that popped into her mind. "How about… 'Snape's underpants'?"

Draco paused from his flirting with the lady. He raised an eyebrow at Hermione. "Are you off your rocker, Granger?"

"Maybe," she said, shrugging. "Snape's underpants," she said to the knight. The knight nodded and turned to let them in. Hermione started to climb in the portrait hole. She saw the room and froze in mid-climb.

The Heads' common room looked like it was decorated by Snape himself. Most of the things were black. The walls were stone gray, but the floor was carpeted at least. Flaming torches lit the room, but the place seemed dark and cold despite them. There was a black loveseat, two black armchairs in front of a fireplace, a dark, wooden coffee table, and a matching bookcase. There were three doors at the end of the room.

"Oy, Granger, move over, I have a right to enter, too!"

"Malfoy…" she murmured. "I think we're in Snape's dungeon…" She felt his hands grip her shoulders and back. He pushed her gently aside. She was surprised at how warm his hands were. She thought they would be cold.

"What did you do, Granger?" he said, looking around.

"I didn't do anything," she squeaked.

"I think your cheeky excuse for a password did this…"

Hermione walked over to the end of the room. She opened the door in the middle. It was the bathroom. Thankfully, it looked normal. In fact, it looked like the Prefects' Bathroom. She proceeded to open the door at the left.

She gasped. This room looked like it had been decorated by Umbridge. The walls and ceiling were cotton-candy pink. The big four-poster bed had white curtains with little pink hearts all over them. The beddings were made of the same material. There was a wall containing framed cat portraits. The wardrobe, desks and chairs were, thankfully, wooden. Her trunk was standing near the wardrobe.

Draco saw the room. He laughed. "Pretty room you have there, Granger."

"Let's see yours, then, Malfoy," she spat out, annoyed. She opened the door at the right.

Draco groaned. The walls had white wallpaper that was monogrammed with... different expression's of Snape's face. The curtains and beddings of his four-poster were made of the same design. There was also a desk, and a wardrobe. His trunk was beside the wardrobe.

Hermione laughed, cluthing her sides. "Your room is even prettier than mine, Malfoy!"

Before Draco could reply, they heard a loud pop and, suddenly, a rolled bit of parchment was on the floor. Draco bent down, took the parchment, opened it, and read:

_Dear Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger,_

_Congratulations for being Head Boy and Girl!_

_As you can see, the décor of your dormitory is rather ghastly. The room is enchanted. It sets itself to teach a lesson to those who inhabit it. This lesson is for you to find out and learn. Only then can your room look "normal"._

_Good day and good luck!_

_Professor Dumbledore_

"That git," Draco muttered, throwing the parchment to the floor. Hermione picked it up.

"It's probably not his fault," Hermione muttered after reading it, "but it is unfair. I definitely didn't hear anything like this from Percy, and it's not in _Hogwarts, A History_---"

"I don't care how this damn room looks," Draco cut in, "I'm turning in for the night." He entered his room and banged the door shut.

Hermione sighed. She put the parchment on the coffee table and went to her room to unpack.

* * *

Just a note... in my story Blaise isn't prejudiced. He doesn't hate Muggleborns and Blood Traitors :P


	3. Curious Incidents in the Morning & Night

Aww, Draco's birthday really is over. :( I guess it's just "I love you, Draco!" then. LOL =))

ronaldluver: Thanks. :) I'm definitely not finished with it... lol

q-aldis: I'm glad that Draco doesn't revolt you here! lol I know you must've heard this a million times, and you must be getting annoyed... but I love Draco. :)) It's difficult to explain. And about the Head's Quarters... well, I didn't want them to have an awesoom room just yet. I thought, maybe, they could earn it first. lol. Thanks for reviewing, and you're welcome for thanking my thanking. LOL! That sounded outta-wack. =))

I'd like to say a big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted (lol) people who added my story to their Favorites lists: ronaldluver, notjusabby, and Sterndal012

Another big THANK YOU! (lol) to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Story Alert lists: Chayenne26 and live2laugh

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Sure, I'd love to own him, and his friends, and his broomstick, and even his hair, but then I don't have enough gold to buy them from JK Rowling/Warner Bros., you know? lol

* * *

Drip, drop. Drip, drop.

Drip, drip. Drop, drop.

Hermione sighed, smiled and stretched. She was enjoying a warm bath with her lavender and chamomile bath oils. She had woken up extra-early (4:30 am!) to make sure that she would have the bathroom to herself. She had slept for only three hours because she had to unpack _and _organize her clothes. The bath was a perfect way to relax and start a new day.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the excess water dropping from the bath's colourful water taps.

Drip, drop. Drip, drop.

Drip, drip. Drop, drop.

* * *

Draco opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Snape glaring at him from the ceiling. He sat bolt upright and hastened to cover himself. He was clad only in his silk black boxers, what was Snape playi---

Then he realized it was just the bed design.

He growled and threw back the covers. He opened his trunk, searching for his _Merlin's Beard Soft and Silky Shampoo_. Waking up to Snape disoriented him. After a minute, he finally found the crystal shampoo bottle, so he walked out of his room.

He walked to the bathroom and opened the door.

He froze.

Hermione Granger lay in the tub. Her eyes were closed, and she looked very peaceful. A half-smile was formed on her pink lips. Her hair was wet. It draped her and covered her curves where the foamy water could not.

He longed to kneel down and kiss her. He was already unwittingly leaning down…

Her eyes opened, blinking up slowly at him.

He blinked back.

Then she let out an ear-splitting, bloodcurdling scream. He jumped, backing away. His shampoo bottle fell to the floor and crashed into a thousand pieces. Thick, pearly-white liquid oozed onto the floor, its scent replacing the lavender and chamomile aroma coming from the tub.

"Malfoy, get out," she growled. Her cheeks looked so red; he was surprised that the bath water didn't boil.

"Gee, Granger, how was I to know that it wasn't a peep show---"

"GET THE BLOODY HELL OUT!"

* * *

"Settle down."

It was Potions time. Professor Snape had just come in, sweeping the room with his long black robes as he strode to his desk. The class immediately fell silent. Snape reached his desk and looked the class down.

"As you know, you are on your final and most difficult year," he said. "All of you sitting here have proved yourselves acceptable potion-makers." He paused to look at the whole room. There were only ten students remaining. "Don't prove yourselves wrong. I will pair you all up. These pairings will last for the whole year, and they're final. No exceptions." He smirked at all of them. He waved his wand towards the blackboard and the set of names again. "Oh… and sit with your partners," he added with a nasty smile.

No two people from the same House were paired together. The Ravenclaws and Hupplepuffs were paired, which wasn't too bad. Harry, however, had been paired with Blaise, and Draco had been paired with Hermione.

Draco wanted to throw his copy of Advanced Potion-Making at Snape's face. By the looks of it, he was planning to torture some particular students. He stole a glance at Granger. She was sitting beside Potter. He waited to see whether she would make the first move to sit beside him. However, she seemed determined not to look at him. He grumbled and stood up, leaving Blaise alone.

"I believe you're sitting on my seat, Potter," he said coolly. Harry glared at him, stood up, patted Hermione consolingly on the back, and journeyed over to Draco's former seat.

"You are to make Amortentia," Snape said. Susan Bones and Padma Patil looked at each other and squealed. "Be warned. This is a complex potion and it requires attention to important details. So, those of you who do not possess the patience or skill to notice," he drawled, glancing maliciously at Harry, "Be vigilant." He waved his wand towards the blackboard again. "The instructions and ingredients are on the blackboard. Begin."

Draco looked over at Hermione. She was scanning the board. A moment later, she shot up from her seat and ran to the storeroom. Draco rolled his eyes, smirked to himself, and sat back. He was going to torture her today.

* * *

"Pleasepassthechoppedrosethrons,Malfoy," Hermione said, mixing the potion in a swift, counter-clockwise motion as stated in the directions.

"I didn't understand a word, Granger," Draco said in a singsong voice.

"Please pass the chopped rose thorns," Hermione repeated slowly.

"That's better," Draco said, throwing the chopped thorns into the cauldron.

Hermione continued to mix it. "Add the rose petals next," she muttered. "You need to add them every---"

"I know, Granger," Draco cut in, rolling his eyes. He took the seven rose petals and added them one by one every seven seconds. Immediately, the potion turned a light shade of pink.

"Potter, hurry up melting that wax," they heard Blaise say.

"Tell that to the wax," Harry muttered bitterly.

Hermione hastened to look at the wax Draco was heating. It was nearly done. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm not as daft as Potter, Granger," Draco said. He had caught her. Hermione blushed; her face and the potion were now sporting similar shades. Draco proceeded to add crushed butterfly wings to the mixture.

"I didn't---I---" Hermione stuttered. "Hey! Harry is not daft!"

"Whatever you say," Draco said. He took the hot, melted wax and added it to the potion. The potion turned pearly white, and smoke started spiraling from it.

"We did it!" Hermione said. She beamed. Then she closed her eyes. She could smell freshly-cut grass, new parchment, and…

She gulped. To distract herself from her startling discovery, she scooped some of the potion into a flask and shoved it at Draco's hands. "You take it," she muttered, turning away.

Draco raised an eyebrow, but obeyed, anyway. Before taking it to Snape, he took a sniff. It smelled like his mother's perfume, his own perfume, and something else that seemed extremely familiar. He still couldn't remember where he had smelt it as he reached Snape.

"O," Snape said lazily upon seeing it. "As for the others, time is up." He turned to mark the others, forgetting to take the flask from Draco. Draco pocketed it, making sure no one was looking.

* * *

Hermione stabbed her sausage with her fork. After Potions, the next class had been Arithmancy. She discovered that, due to the difficulty of the subject, only five students remained to take it (Draco, Blaise, Ernie Macmillan, Padma Patil, and herself). Draco had sat beside her the whole period. He didn't do anything but his presence annoyed her so much.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Ginny asked her.

"I'm fine," she said after swallowing a bit of sausage. "I'm just annoyed at Malfoy."

Ginny laughed. "Count yourself lucky. I know he's a big git…But you can't deny that he's hot!"

Hermione grinned. She was about to tell Ginny about the morning's events when Harry and Ron came in.

"We just came from the common room," Ron said, sitting down. "D'you know, I haven't had any subjects this morning?" He grinned. "I had so much fun sleeping."

"And what did Harry do while you slept?" Ginny asked.

Harry, who had been looking at something, swiftly turned around. "Um…Reading up on Potions."

Hermione snorted into her orange juice. Ron laughed. Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, alright," Harry said, "I was near the Forbidden Forest---"

But what he was doing there, they didn't get to find out. Draco Malfoy had just walked over to them. He leaned on their table, looking cockily at Hermione.

"How're you doing, Granger?" he said, smirking. He stared at her for a few seconds. Hermione blushed, remembering the tub incident. He then strutted away, looking satisfied.

"Wos uppibim?" Ron said, his mouth full. Ginny's face contorted with disgust and confusion. He swallowed. "What's up with him?" he repeated. "If he's trying to impress you, or something, for some reason…" He trailed off, glaring at Malfoy's retreating form.

"It's nothing," Hermione said quickly. She got up, not caring for her unfinished sausages. "I'll go now. See you in Charms," she said to Harry and Ron before walking out of the hall.

"You wanted to walk me to Charms, Granger?"

Hermione turned around. Draco was leaning against the corridor, looking at her. She growled, strode up to him, and snatched her wand from her robes. She pointed it at his chest. "Look, Malfoy," she said through gritted teeth. "I don't know what your problem is… But stop anooying me! If this is about… about this morning…"

"Yeah?" Malfoy said, grinning. "What about it?" he said with a wink.

Hermione turned red. "Forget about that! Forget what you saw---"

"Ah, but Granger," he cut in. He leaned in and reached out to tuck some locks behind her ear before he whispered into it. "I can't just do that. You see, I quite liked it." He winked again and left her standing there, her face red. It was fun getting Hermione Granger worked up about nothing.

* * *

At the end of the day, Hermione had nearly lost her wits. Malfoy had sat beside her during Charms. They had to work on Disillusionment Charms together. For some reason, Malfoy chose to Disillusion her head, and nothing else. The class had laughed at her as she groped for her head in mid-air. Meanwhile, Pansy Parkinson glared at her the whole time.

Then, for Transfiguration, they had to be pairs again. They had to conjure furniture out of mid-air, and for some reason, they had been assigned a bed. Of course, Draco conjured one in no time. It was a big, queen-sized bed shaped like a heart. He sat on it, patted it with one hand, and winked at her. Her only joy was that she had Vanished it, shocking him. He fell to the floor on his butt, cursing. He had gotten five points from Slytherin for that. Pansy looked madder than ever and even more so when she noticed that Malfoy was avoiding her.

She managed to get away from him as she journeyed to their dormitory. She had to patrol and do two essays that night, and she wasn't going to take crap from him. She reached the portrait and mumbled the dirty password, earning a scandalized look from the lady.

"Hello, Granger."

Hermione groaned. She didn't believe it. How could he have gotten there so fast?

"What do you want?" she mumbled, setting her books down on the couch. She was getting tired.

"You."

Hermione froze. She looked at him, her eyes wide. She was almost sure that a flash of fear or, probably, shock had gone through his eyes. It was gone before she could check.

"We have Head duties, remember?" he said slowly. "I was waiting for you."

She looked at him, narrowing her eyes. _That was it?_ she thought. She was horrified to find that she was actually quite disappointed that it hadn't been something else.

* * *

Draco looked at Hermione from the corner of his eye. She was searching the corridor thoroughly, doing what he was supposed to be doing, too. He looked away. He had slipped a while ago, when she had asked what she wanted. He wasn't thinking when he said it; it just came out. He was replaying the incident in the tub in his mind moments before she had walked into the common room. Her question had caught him off guard.

He bit his lip, hating himself for wanting Granger. She was a Muggle-born, something he'd been raised to detest and look down on. She was the best friend of the enemy. She was his biggest rival next to Potter. She was everything that was wrong and forbidden for him.

Yet, as he had asked himself once, was she really wrong for him?

He had spent the whole summer thinking about her. The absence of his father made it easier to do it; it cleared his mind, allowing him to be objective about things. He had been slowly coming to terms with the fact that he liked her. He had liked her since their third year, and even more so when she hit him in the face. The next year, when he had seen her at the Yule Ball, he could've sworn his heart stopped beating for a moment. She had always been cute to him, but that night, she was _beautiful_. Seeing her with Krum infuriated him. The years after that, he intensified his taunts and insults to vent off his frustration. Last summer, he finally had the balls to say to himself that he liked "Mudblood Granger".

He thought of everything he had ever been told about Muggle-borns, and he realized that it was just extreme prejudice. He decided that he did not want to adopt such a view anymore. With his father in Azkaban, no one could stop him. He stepped into King's Cross believing that blood didn't really matter. The only thing stopping him from completely giving into his desire was fear.

"Malfoy!"

Draco turned sharply to look at Hermione. He heard a great thud, felt pain in the middle of his face, and fell over. He had bumped into a statue.

"I've been calling you for three times already and then BANG!" she said, laughing.

He groaned.

"Alright, lie still," Hermione said, bending down to get a look at his face. His nose was bleeding. She reached out and touched it.

Draco felt her hand on his face. His first reflex was to pull away, but he thought better of it. He let the hand stay. It almost took away the pain. He saw her take her wand, mutter an incantation, and moments later, the pain really was gone. He got up, looking at her.

She looked back at him, quizzically.

"Thank you," he said. Then he walked away.

* * *

Hermione was lying on her bed. She couldn't sleep. She stared at her pink bed canopy.

Draco Malfoy had just said a clear, resounding, "Thank you" to her. Sure, he walked away, leaving her to patrol the last corridor by herself afterwards. But she was too shocked to get angry.

That morning, he'd seen her naked. For the rest of the day, he had annoyed her. Then, that night, he had said something he'd never said to her (and, probably, not to anyone in quite a long while), and he wasn't smirking or frowning while saying it.

Hermione grabbed her frilly pillow and put it over her head. It had been a long, bizarre day.

_And it's only the first!_ she thought, pressing the pillow down on her head.

* * *

I wonder what they had been smelling during Potions. :

Is the name of Draco's shampoo alright? LOL. I'll try to think of better titles for hair products next time.


	4. Mud, PopTarts, and Birthday Cakes

Wow, thank you to those who reviewed!

Courvoisier: Thanks a lot :) I'm glad the shampoo name's okay. I thought about that for a long time. I'm glad you liked it a lot. :)

LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL: Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Here's the next chapter :)

blueskyshymoon08: For chapter 1- I LOVE HIM, TOO. :D Bad boys ARE hot. LOL. For chapter 2- I'm glad you love the suave Draco. I love him, too. lol

Wolfdog Delly: For chapter 2- Yeah. Poor Zabini :( Hahaha. For chapter 3- I'm glad you liked the shampoo name =)) It was awfully hard thinking of it.

ILuveWolfdog: Who are you??? You love DELLY??? =)) Oh my god. Thanks so much for reviewing :)) I really can't figure your identity out.

A big THANK YOU! (try saying it out loud, LOL) to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Favorites lists: Courvoisier, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, and Jessca123

Another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Story Alert lists: PINKandBROWN22, Courvoisier, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, ImFine., blueskyshymoon08, mandigrrl, loonyluna423, Nymphadora6, Chillywilly2295, elektra30, and maximum-calories

And another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added me to their Author Alert lists: LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, Courvoisier, and stellachic452

Alright, this is the last. LOL. A big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added me to their Favorite Authors lists: Courvoisier and LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL Thanks a bunch!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. Happy? (lol) Oh, and I don't own Pop-Tarts, okay? They belong to Kellog's. I've never even tasted one. lol

* * *

Hermione glanced at the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy was eating his porridge while Pansy Parkinson whispered something into his ear. She saw him push Pansy away. Pansy came slithering back, flicking her short black bob and batting her nonexistent eyelashes at him. Hermione couldn't hear what she was saying. She saw Draco shoot up from the table and walk out of the Great Hall, leaving Pansy fuming. To her surprise, Pansy looked at her with narrowed eyes. Hermione found this uncalled for.

It had been a week since their first day. It had also been a week since Draco last talked to her, let alone _looked_ at her. After his "Thank you", he had avoided her. At first, it was subtle. He would be gone when she would get up in the morning. He stopped sitting next to her in classes, except in Potions, where he would work with her wordlessly. He patrolled alone. He didn't seem to show signs of anger or hostility toward her, but he wasn't being his usual annoying self, either. At first, Hermione liked the lack of attention, but after a couple of days she found that she missed his teasing.

She finished her porridge and got up to leave for Potions with Harry. There would be no glaring Parkinson there, but she would have to endure another wordless hour of potion-making with Malfoy.

* * *

"Hey Granger, pulverize these bones for me."

Hermione looked up at him with slightly wide eyes. She stared at him, looking incredulous, before taking the dragon bones from him.

Draco smirked. He knew that she was shocked; he hadn't talked to her since he bumped into a statue a week ago. He was avoiding her, and she knew it. He found it hard to talk to her, and he wasn't even sure why. It took a week for him to start talking to her again, and a certain _distraction_ that he acquired last night also helped.

Hermione crushed the bones with the mortar and pestle feverishly. She looked slightly more cheerful. Before long, the bones turned to dust and she threw them into the Skele-Gro they were making. "Anything else?" she said.

"No," he drawled, throwing their last piece of dragon claw into the cauldron. The potion started to smoke, signaling that they were done. "But do take these to Snape and be a good girl." He winked at her. Hermione rolled her eyes, but obeyed.

* * *

Hermione ate her dinner slowly that night. She was unsure whether Draco would ask her to patrol with him. He sat beside her again in Arithmancy, but left her alone with Harry and Ron in Charms and Transfiguration.

However, when she reached their dormitory, he was nowhere to be seen. She assumed that he had gone on to patrol alone again, so she went to her room to do her homework.

More than an hour had passed, and she had finished her homework. She got up to stretch when she heard the portrait open outside. She was surprised to hear giggling. She opened her door by a crack quietly, and peeked through it.

Draco had just walked in with a smirk on his face.

Hermione heard another giggle. She saw that he had brought Padma Patil in with him. The pair sat on the black loveseat and started snogging. Padma broke the kiss. "Isn't Hermione Granger in here?" she asked, looking around.

"Don't worry about her," Draco muttered. Hermione saw his eyes drift to her door. He winked at her.

Hermione jumped back and shut the door. She ran to her bed, jumped in, and pulled the covers up. Moments later, she could hear the portrait opening and shutting. Then, her own door opened. Hermione feigned sleep.

"I saw you, Granger," she heard him say. "And thanks to the bang of your door, so did my lady friend." She heard him walk up to her. "Don't sleep in your robes, Granger. Good night." She heard the door shut.

Hermione got up and started taking her robes (she had forgotten that she was still in them) off, scowling. She could've sworn she _heard_ him smirking before he left.

* * *

This time around, it was Hermione's turn to avoid Draco. They didn't have Potions yet, so they didn't have to make actual contact. Hermione stuck to Harry and Ron in every class, and was grateful that Draco wasn't taking Ancient Runes (only nine other people, mostly from Ravenclaw, did). She let him do his Head Duties alone. She was extra grateful when Quidditch practices started; it gave her more chances to have the common room alone at night.

Her evasion succeeded until the end of the week. It was Friday night when Draco strode into their dormitory and walked up to her.

"Hello, Granger," he drawled. He was clad in half of his Quidditch robes. His muddy top was draped over his shoulders. It dripped mud onto his arm muscles, and onto the floor. His well-toned, ab-laden torso was lightly smeared with mud. He must've rubbed the mud over it, thinking it made him look sexy. _Which worked_, she thought grudgingly. He was smirking. "Dumbledore wants us in his office. Let me just wash up. Unless, of course, you don't want me to," he said, and winked. She rolled her eyes at him and he went inside the bathroom.

Draco smiled to himself as he settled into the warm, bubbly water. Quidditch practice was extra-tiring and extra-filthy today, but he still managed to take advantage of it. He lay there recalling the look on Granger's pink face when he walked in. Eventually, he got up and rinsed himself. He knew Granger was waiting, so he came out with only a towel on. Granger saw him and, to his delight, her cheeks turned pink again. He knew that the effect of water droplets on his muscles was even sexier than those of mud. He knows he's vain, and he admits it to himself.

* * *

"So what did Dumbledore want again?" Hermione asked for the third time.

Draco sighed loudly. "I told you, I don't know! Let's just find out, alright?" He stopped. They had reached the gargoyles. "…Pop tarts," Draco said in a hesitant tone.

Hermione laughed. "They're Muggle snacks. Dumbledore probably likes them." Draco shrugged. He motioned for Hermione to come in first. Hermione did so, blushing slightly. Draco stepped in afterwards and the gargoyle made its way up.

"Ah, Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, welcome," Dumbledore said once he saw them enter. "Pop-Tarts?" Hermione thanked him and took one. Draco slowly shook his head, looking at the Pop-Tarts curiously.

"How is your room, by the way?" Dumbledore said, smiling. He set the plate of tarts down.

"It's the same, sir," Hermione said. She realized that she didn't even notice the room's ugliness anymore.

"Ah, I see," Dumbledore said. He shrugged. "But let us not discuss it. I called for you to inform you of an idea I had… the Halloween Ball." He sat down. "As you can see, House rivalry is very prevalent among the student population. While that cannot be avoided, I believe that we can at least foster friendship among the Houses. I think this ball, set quite early in the year, can help us do that."

Hermione smiled. She loved the idea of a ball. Draco didn't look too pleased, however. He'd have to _plan_ a ball?

"The Halloween Ball will require_ all_ students from the fifth to seventh years to attend… with a partner from another House," Dumbledore explained.

Draco cringed. But he knew it wasn't over; something will still follow this bit of bad news…

"You two may decide the theme. You may assign the prefects to help you plan and decorate. And…" he paused, looking at Draco. Draco had the feeling that his mind was being read. "As you two are planning it, you two shall attend it together." Draco's fear was confirmed.

Hermione didn't look too happy about it, either. On the other hand, she was _blushing_ rather than scowling. "But Professor…"

"Now, now, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said. "It will make you two excellent examples for the other students." Draco wanted to smirk, and he saw Hermione's lips twitching. "The ball will take place after the Halloween Feast. I will give you the rest of Halloween to decorate. That would be all." And with a smile that looked a bit mischievous, he dismissed them.

* * *

"Now, now, Ms. Granger," Draco spat out as they walked back to their dorm. "You are to plan this by yourself. Call all the prefects, I don't care. Call me when it's time to decorate."

"That's unfair!" Hermione said. "Don't you even want to contribute any ideas? I think this ball is a brilliant idea." She looked at him. He was laughing. "Fine," she said. "If I make everyone dress like fairies, is that alright? Or princes and princesses!"

"You wouldn't dare," he said as they reached their corridor. "You can never make us dress in--- _Snape's underpants_," he said to the knight. Hermione laughed. "I mean, princes or pixies or whatever---"

"Let's see you come up with ideas, then," she said, hands on her hips. Draco found it sexy.

"I want blood and gore," Draco said, knowing it would annoy her. "Headless horsemen, Inferi, werewolves… and let's have you dress as the Bloody Baron!"

"Over my dead body," she said through gritted teeth. "Alright…" she said after a thoughtful pause. "We'll let everyone come in costumes. And we'll pick someone with the best costume and give them something. I'll just talk to the prefects on how to decorate the Great Hall. How does that sound?" It all sounded very diplomatic.

"Fine," he said. "I'm going to bed. I'm tired." The Quidditch practice earlier started to make him feel achy. He walked to his room and opened the door. He stood there for a moment. "Good night, Granger," he said before shutting it.

* * *

During the next week, Hermione decided not to do any planning for the ball first. It was over a month away, and Professor Dumbledore hadn't even announced it to the student body yet. She decided to concentrate on her classes first. They were given so much homework, and the lessons grew more difficult with each class.

She continued to patrol alone because Draco scheduled Quidditch practices every other night, or patrolled with female prefects. That week, he patrolled with a fifth year Hufflepuff prefect called Wendy Hopkins, and a fifth year Slytherin prefect called Astoria Greengrass. They were both pretty and blonde, and they were both taken to the common room afterwards (Hermione had peeked).

That Friday, Hermione finally decided to start planning for the ball. She scheduled a meeting at an unused classroom with all the prefects. Draco did not attend; he had conveniently scheduled a Quidditch practice in time for the meeting. She and the prefects started throwing around ideas for the theme, how the Great Hall would look, who to book for the music, and what the food and drinks would be.

Hermione thought the meeting had gone well. She came out of the meeting smiling. She was especially happy that the week was over; it had been a stressful one. She thought about what to do for the weekend as she climbed the staircase to the Heads' Quarters. Her foot had barely touched the fifth floor when a loud sound startled her.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville had been waiting outside the Heads' Quarters, holding presents. Aside from her present, Ginny was holding a chocolate cake that said, "Happy Birthday Miss Harmoynie!" in pink icing.

"This is Dobby's present," Ginny said, laughing.

Hermione just stood there, blinking stupidly. She had forgotten that it was her birthday. It was already September 19, and she didn't even realize. She blinked a few more times before bursting to tears.

Harry, Ron, and Neville backed away, looking scared. Ginny and Luna laughed.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, wping her eyes. "I forgot it was my birthday, and you guys... Aww! You're all so sweet. You've made me so happy. Thanks, guys."

"If she was happy, why'd she cry?" Ron whispered to Harry. "Girls are weird." Harry laughed and shook his head.

* * *

Draco ran back down the stairs. He had just come from Quidditch practice, and he was about to go to the Heads' Quarters. However, he saw Hermione and her friends, sitting on conjured bean bags, eating chocolate cake.

He got out of the castle and hopped onto his Nimbus 2001.

_If I were to give her a present_, Draco thought, _It would be too much... We're not even friends._

He decided to forget about it.

He did a sharp dive to let off his frustration.

* * *

The next weeks passed in a blur. The seventh years went on with their classes, which were getting harder than ever. Hermione, on top of that, had to plan the ball. Draco still wouldn't help her and continued to tell her that he had Quidditch practice every time she asked for his help. She planned the rest of the ball with the prefects.

She and Draco still had separate patrolling times. Often, she would hear him enter the common room at night with different girls (he had ran out of pretty prefects). She would always peek and he would always catch her. So far, after Padma Patil and the two fifth years, the girls he had taken with him were Slytherins Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass, pretty Ravenclaws Su Li and Lila Moon, and pretty Hufflepuffs Megan Jones and Heidi Macavoy. He never had trysts with the female Gryffindors, or with Pansy Parkinson, who occasionally chased him around.

In the middle of October, Dumbledore finally announced that there would be a ball on Halloween. Surprisingly, no one reacted too violently upon hearing that Intra-House pairings were not allowed (unless you count Pansy Parkinson shrieking "I can't take Drakey!?!" and quickly being muffled by Blaise).

During breakfast one day, Hermione asked Harry who he would be taking.

Harry turned red. "Erm...I've asked _someone_, and she's said yes." He didn't want to say who.

"Oh, that's great, Harry," Hermione said, casting a sideway glance at Ginny. Ginny looked curious and disappointed at the same time. Hermione patted her hand under the table.

"I don't know who to go with!" Ron said wearily. He eyed Hermione hopefully.

"We're in the _same_ House, Ron," Hermione said exasperatedly. "Besides, I have to go with Malfoy, because we're Heads."

"Ooh!" Lavender and Parvati squealed. They had been listening in. "A lot of people are going to be so jealous of you!" Lavender said.

"What!" Ron exclaimed. "Jealous over Malfoy… I'd be happy I'm not taking him," he snorted. Lavender and Parvati threw him dirty looks. Parvati flicked her hair. "He's just envious," she said to Lavender. Lavender nodded.

Hermione wondered whether Parvati knew that the Slytherin Sex God was snogging her twin at night. She shrugged the thought off. "Who are you going with, Parvati?"

"Anthony Goldstein," Parvati said, squealing. "Padma introduced us."

Hermione gave her a smile. Anthony Goldstein was kinda cute, with blond curls and sleepy brown eyes. "What about you, Lavender?"

"She's going with a sixth year!" Parvati whispered, making it sound scandalous.

"So?" Lavender said. "He's hot!" She gabbed about a red-haired sixth year Hufflepuff with a _divine_ smile named Malcolm Preece. He was a Chaser for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.

She went on and on until Herbology, which they were having with the Hufflepuffs. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were awfully glad that they were breeding Devil's Snare; Lavender had to stop talking to concentrate.

The class ended and everyone filed out of the room. Hermione had Arithmancy next, so she said goodbye to Harry and Ron.

"Hey, Hermione," Hermione heard a voice say. She turned around. It was Justin Filch-Fletchley. He smiled at her and she smiled back. "I'll walk you to your next class." They walked back to the castle in awkward silence. Justin looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't. When they reached her corridor, he finally spoke again. "Would you like to go to the ball with me?" He smiled up at her. Hermione bit her lip. She felt really bad turning him down; he looked awfully sweet, and it had taken him a lot of courage to ask her.

"I'm sorry, Justin, I'm going with Draco Malfoy," she said. "We have to go as Heads."

"Oh…" he said. He rumpled his curly brown hair. "It's alright," he said, smiling up at her. "I… I guess I'll have to ask Mandy Brocklehurst," he said.

The bell signaling the start of classes rang. "I have to go… Good luck," she said, giving him a warm smile. She watched him wave and walk away before entering the classroom.

"Aww, Granger," said a voice behind her. "_I_'ve been asked today, too. _Twelve_ times, though, so I bet you can't top that. Parkinson, Patil, Patil, Brown, Li, Moon, Macavoy, Abbott, Jones, some girl called Romelee or Emily Vane, Greengrass, and Davis."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Three of them are from your house are they stupid? And it's _Romilda_ Vane." Draco shrugged at this. She turned away from him and sat down behind Blaise Zabini. Draco sat beside her.

"Hey, Granger," Blaise said, turning around. Hermione was startled. Blaise rarely talked to her. Draco looked at him quizzically.

"About the ball, would you---" he began, but he was cut by Draco.

"Mate, she's going with _me_," Draco declared before he could stop himself. Ernie and Padma turned to look. Hermione heard Padma sniff.

"I know, I know," Blaise said wearily. "Pity, though. Such a waste," he said, looking at Hermione and winking at her. Hermione couldn't help but smile. "But I was going to ask her something else." He looked at Hermione again. "Would you know if Ginny Weasley's going with someone?"

Hermione beamed. "Are you going to ask her?" Draco raised an eyebrow at Blaise.

Blaise nodded. "Yeah; I don't see anything wrong with that," he said to her. "Weasley's hot, dude," he said to Draco.

Professor Vector walked in, and they were forced to keep quiet. She was looking particularly windswept today. "Open--- open your books to page 346," she said. Her voice was unusually high.

"Dude, I think she just got some," Draco whispered to Blaise. They laughed.

Hermione rolled her eyes at their rude comments, but couldn't help notice that they might be right. She wondered what Professor Vector was up to, but shook it off. She had bigger problems, like what to wear to the ball. She only had days left.


	5. The Halloween Ball

This next chapter is for someone who celebrates his birthday today. Even if he doesn't read. No, it's not Draco this time, lol. This one's a real person.

LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL: Wow, thanks :D

Courvoisier: Aww. :) I'm glad it made your day. You know what? Reviews make _my_ day. :D Thanks a lot. :)

blueskyshymoon08: Well, here's the ball. I hope it's dramatic enough for you :)) Thanks for the review :D

tatortot729: I'm glad to hear that. :) Here's the next chapter. :) Thanks for reviewing! :D

Wolfdog Delly: Damn! Where do you get your Pop-Tarts??? I want some!!! Do you get them from Cash? Gosh, I have to go there sometime. As in, _have to_. I've never had Pop-Tarts before... I haven't even _seen_ one in real life!!! :(( :)) Thank for reviewing. :D

Here's a big THANK YOU! (I really love how loud that sounds) to these kind-hearted people for adding me and my story to their Author Alert list and Favorite Stories list (respectively, lol): klinews and tatortot729

Disclaimer: I do not own harry Potter. JK Rowling does. If I owned it, why would I be writing fan fiction? :))

* * *

The day of the Halloween Ball started early for Draco and Hermione.

The sun had barely risen when Hermione knocked loudly on Draco's door. "Wake up!"

Draco opened the door. He had matted hair, sleepy eyes, and he was in nothing but _boxers_. Hermione tried not to look.

"Yes, Granger?" he mumbled, still managing to smirk.

"Well, you told me to call you when it's time to decorate… It's time to decorate."

"The sun hasn't even come out," he mumbled, turning to go back to bed. Hermione grabbed his arm. He stood there, enjoying the feel of her warm hand on his cool skin.

"We're going to have to get ready later, Malfoy," she said. "_Now_ is the time to decorate."

Draco groaned. "Alright," he said. "Let me just get some clothes on, for heaven's sake." He grabbed a thick gray sweatshirt and matching sweatpants, and pulled them on. They went down to the Great Hall. The prefects were already there, but most of them were trying to catch more sleep, resting on the House tables. The female prefects straightened up once they saw Draco; it was the first time he would be joining them.

"You know what to do," Hermione said. "Come on, everyone." She gave them boxes and took one for herself.

Draco leaned on the Hufflepuff table. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Hold this while I conjure ladders," she said. She went to the others and conjured ladders for each of them.

Draco looked at her, smiling. She was really something when she took charge. He turned his attention to the box he was holding. He opened it and dug in to get a random object. His fingers closed in on something smooth and circular. It moved in his hand. He took it out of the box and jumped. It looked like their old teacher Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye.

"Scared of an eye, Malfoy?"

Hermione had caught him. He scowled at her.

She laughed. "Help me place those around."

* * *

An hour later, the Hall looked very different. They had bewitched it to look like a forest. There were fairy lights in the air. They weren't done yet, but it was almost breakfast. They were to conceal the decorations and continue after lunch. They had hidden everything as students came pouring into the Great hall for breakfast.

Draco walked over to the Slytherin table. Moments later, Blaise came and sat beside him.

"Wow… you're up early," he said. Food had appeared on the tables. He grabbed some toast and spread marmalade on it.

"Granger," Draco muttered. "She had us decorating." He grabbed some coffee.

"What are you wearing tonight?" Blaise asked him.

Draco looked at him blankly. "I… don't know." He realized he hadn't thought about it at all.

"Come in your birthday suit," Blaise mumbled. "I'm coming as an ancient Arab. Ginny's coming as a siren, she said. We'll be hot, the pair of us." He looked around. "Watch out for Pansy, she said she'll be looking flaming… but I don't know who she's going with… "

Draco shrugged. "Dude, what am I going to do? Granger will kill me if I turn up naked."

"What's she coming as?" Blaise said, taking a bite of his toast.

Draco shrugged. He had no idea. He should probably ask her after breakfast.

* * *

Hermione chewed on her croissant as Ginny sat down in front of her. "Our outfits will be coming by owl post," she said, grabbing some milk and pouring it into her bowl.

Harry and Ron came in and sat down by them. They looked really sleepy.

"Harry, what are you wearing tonight?" Ginny asked. She had gotten over Harry fairly quickly after being asked out by Blaise.

"I'm not sure, actually," he said. "If I can't think of something, I'll wear dress robes."

"Ron?" Ginny asked. Ron shrugged. His ears looked red.

"Ron," Hermione said slowly. "Who are you going with?"

Ron choked on his porridge--- if that were even possible. Hermione looked at Ginny and they shrugged. "You boys are being so secretive!" she said as she and Ginny laughed.

* * *

Draco sat on the couch. He didn't know what to wear. Maybe he _should_ come naked.

The portrait hole opened and Hermione walked in. She was carrying a parcel.

"Granger, I was going to ask you something," he said. "What… what are you, um, wearing?"

"Oh," Hermione said. "Um… Just…" She told him about the outfit and showed it to him.

"Oh… okay, right," Draco said. He stood up, planning to divulge the information to Blaise.

"What about you?" Hermione asked him before he managed to climb out of the portrait hole.

"…You'll see," he managed, and then ran down to the Slytherin dungeons.

He ran into Pansy.

"Draco," she said, using what she thought was a sultry voice (it wasn't; it was just annoying). "What brings you down here?" She stepped closer and put her hand on his chest.

He stepped back. He really didn't like Pansy. She really did look quite like a pug, and she was so clingy and annoying. "Not you, so move over."

Pansy gave a dramatic gasp. "Just you wait, Draco," she said. "Tonight, when you see me in the arms of another man…"

"Yeah, yeah," Draco said. He turned to the stone door and said, "Tradition", and ran in as it opened. He ran to his former dormitory. Blaise was there, looking at the mirror. Crabbe and Goyle were out, probably eating. Theodore Nott was sprawled on his bed, reading a book.

"Hey, Theo," Draco said, nodding to him. "Who are you coming with?"

"The Ravenclaw Patil," Theo said, not looking up from his book. "Blaise says she asked you first, but then you were going with Granger. She asked me next."

"She's hot, too," Blaise said, pausing to turn away from his reflection. "She and her twin don't look any different. But Weasley's hotter."

"Yeah, yeah, listen. I found out what Granger's wearing."

* * *

Hermione patted her hair, which she had just spent two hours on. She didn't have to use Sleekeazy's Hair Potion this time. Her hair was still curly, but looked soft and tame. It was up in a chignon with a few tendrils of curls down, held in place by a slim silver band.

She pulled on her costume and smiled at her reflection. Her plan worked out perfectly. She got out of the bathroom to go to her room.

The small clock on her bedside table read quarter past eight. The ball was to begin at nine. She wondered where Malfoy was. They had to formally open the ball together.

She sat down, getting a little bit anxious. She decided that if he didn't come in ten minutes, she'd go down by herself.

* * *

"That's hot."

Draco stopped mid-step; he had been running up the stairs to the fifth floor. He turned around to see who had said it. It came from a blonde girl dressed as a banshee. Draco remembered that she was a sixth year in Hufflepuff. He grinned and winked at the girl before resuming his run up the stairs.

It had been the seventh time a girl had verbally commented on his costume. He was only on the third floor; it was extremely likely that more girls were coming down the stairs.

* * *

Hermione looked at the clock. It was five minutes to nine. She sighed, jumped up from her bed and walked out of the room.

She was actually feeling a bit disappointed that Malfoy was going to stand her up.

_Whatever, I don't need him. I can open the ball alone_, she convinced herself.

She opened the portrait hole and stepped out.

* * *

Draco reached the seventh floor. He ran faster. _She better still be there…_

The portrait swung open. Draco skidded to a halt, panting.

Hermione Granger stepped into the corridor. Draco first caught a glimpse of her left foot, which was bare. Next came her slim, bare leg. His panting slowed. She stepped completely into the corridor. She was wearing the long, one-shouldered ivory dress. It had a dramatic slit up her left leg. Her hair was up, but a few strands were hanging down, making her face look really pretty. She caught sight of him, and she smiled. It made her look even more…

"Beautiful."

He gasped softly. He didn't mean to say it aloud. He waited for her to smirk, frown, or run to him and punch him.

* * *

"Thank you," Hermione said, beaming. He had called her beautiful! He even looked quite breathless. She felt a bout of confusing happiness.

She had been so surprised to see him there that she had forgotten to look properly at what he had chosen to wear. Her eyes widened.

He was wearing a _toga_ the same color as her dress. It even looked like her dress, which she found fishy. It showed his arm and calve muscles. He was barefoot, too. He looked so _hot_.

She wondered if she should tell him this. She settled with "You look really nice, Malfoy".

Draco paused, and then shrugged and winked at her. She found herself laughing.

Together, they silently went down seven flights of stairs. No one was going down anymore; it seemed as if everyone was just waiting for them to open the ball. They reached the big doors of the Great Hall. They could hear the noise inside. Draco pushed the doors open.

After five seconds, there was complete silence.

Draco could see all the girls checking him out. He smirked. Then he looked around and saw that everyone was looking at Hermione, especially the males. A few girls were glaring at her, and a handful of guys were glaring at him.

"Okay, okay, continue!" he shouted quickly. No one moved. He sighed. "That's a ball opening for you lot," he drawled.

Everyone started to speak at once. The music started to play again.

"Come on, Granger," Draco muttered, taking Hermione's arm and pulling her to where Blaise and Ginny were standing.

"Hermione, you look amazing!" Ginny squeaked.

"No, you do!" Hermione answered. Ginny had used a Hair-Thickening Spell so she could use her hair as a part of her costume; it covered her torso. This was a bold move; she wasn't wearing a top. On her hips, she wore a shiny blue floor-length skirt that looked like a fish-tail. Ginny reminded Hermione of Ariel of the Muggle movie, The Little Mermaid. Boys were stopping to look at her chest; Blaise frowned at them and they scampered away.

"Oh please, Granger. Don't try to be modest," said Blaise. He was wearing a purple Arabian costume. He looked very cute. He reminded Hermione of Aladdin. _Aladdin and Ariel, together?_ Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked Ginny.

"You two remind me of Muggle… Walt Disney characters," Hermione said.

Ginny, Blaise, and Draco said, simultaneously, "Who's Walt Dizzy?" Hermione laughed.

"Oh, you know our friend, Theodore Nott," Blaise said. He motioned to a tall, thin guy with curly brown hair and green eyes. He was wearing a long black coat, a cane, and a top hat. His date was Padma Patil. She was dressed as a gyspy in a loose, cropped, off-shoulder white top, royal blue and purple skirt, and a matching scarf on her head. She nodded to Hermione and looked away.

"Hermione, look, it's Harry!" Ginny whispered. Harry and Ron were walking towards them. Harry was wearing a Muggle tuxedo and Ron was wearing his frilly dress robes from the Yule Ball.

"Excuse us," Hermione said. She grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her along to Harry. "You look so dashing, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. Ginny nodded. From the corner of her eye, Hermione could see Ron scowl. No one had complimented him.

Harry smiled shyly. "Um… thanks?" He looked around. "Um… my date's meeting me here. Oh, here she is." He pulled a blonde girl wearing orange towards them.

"Hello guys," said Luna Lovegood in a dreamy tone. She was wearing a big, puffy orange dress with big black patches. Hermione thought she looked pretty, even if her dress was a nightmare. "I'm wearing a pumpkin. I made this dress with real pumpkin skin," she said. She took their hands and made them touch her dress. It felt smooth and pumpkin-like.

Just then, Ron yelped. "Hide me! Hide me, Harry! _Please_." He darted behind Harry. "It's my _date_… Oh, I'm going to die."

"WEASLEY!" Hermione couldn't believe it; Ron's date was a Slytherin. And not just any Slytherin.

Heads turned to the left. Pansy Parkinson came marching towards them in a black nightdress.

"Why is she in night clothes?" Luna mused. "Is she sleepy?"

People started to laugh as Pansy chased Ron around.

* * *

"Dude, I can't believe you pulled this off," Blaise said, pulling Draco's toga.

"Oy, stop it!" Draco said. Then he laughed. "I couldn't have done it without you guys."

Hours ago in the Slytherin common room:

"_She's wearing a Grecian dress," Draco said, repeating Hermione's term._

_Blaise laughed. "You'd have to be naked to top that, mate. She's going as a Greek goddess!"_

"_What should I wear?" Draco said. "Help me. You two, do you have costumes?"_

"_I told you, I'm wearing something my mother's third husband gave me. Theo's wearing something from your Dad's wardrobe," Blaise said, getting back to his mirror._

_The looked up from his book. He said, "Describe her dress." Draco did._

_Blaise put down the mirror and wolf-whistled. "We're in for a hot night!"_

"_I think I can help," Theo said, putting the book down. He took the blanket from Draco's old bed and took his wand out._

* * *

Hermione came to the stage, which was near the teacher's table. "_Sonorus_," she muttered.

"Everyone, may I have your attention, please?" she said in her magnified voice. They turned to her immediately.

"Thank you. Please don't forget to vote for the boy and the girl that you think have the best costume," Hermione said. "Pick up the magical eyes located under your tables and say the names to it clearly. Then, drop them here." She motioned to a big glass tank beside her. "We'll announce the results at the end of the night. Thank you." She set her voice back to normal. The music played again and she went back down.

She looked around. People were dancing, mingling, and having buterbeer and gillywater near the refreshment tables. A skeleton had come to deejay, and the crowd loved him. She smiled. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the party. She saw Ginny and Blaise dancing like loons in the middle of the dance floor. Harry was having an animated discussion with Luna in a corner. Ron was running around the hall, still hiding from Pansy.

Hermione wondered where her own date was.

"Looking for me, Granger?"

Hermione turned around. Draco was leaning against a fake tree, looking sexy with a smirk.

He didn't wait for a reply. He took hold of her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. She decided to follow. Dancing wouldn't hurt, would it?

A fast song started to play. The lights were scintillating. Hermione danced as if she were in a Muggle club. She swayed her hips, stamped her feet to the beat, and whooped over the loud music once in a while. Draco danced along, edging closer and closer to her with every beat. He grabbed her by the waist and started grinding into her.

Hermione couldn't believe it. Draco Malfoy was _dirty dancing_ with her! She blushed. She was glad that no one could see her.

She was wrong, though, because the people around them started to stare.

Suddenly, a group of cheeky fifth years walked up to them. "Can we dance with her?" they bellowed over the loud music.

Draco frowned, but before he could say anything, Hermione had walked towards them. "I'll see you later," she said to Draco. She walked into the crowd and Draco lost sight of her.

Almost immediately, a gaggle of daring fifth and sixth years inched towards Draco.

"_Please, please, please_, can we dance with you?"

Draco shrugged yes. He didn't feel like dancing with _kids_ when he could've been _dirty dancing_ with Granger. But he still did have his reputation to keep up...

* * *

After half an hour, Draco had danced with half of the girls in the room. He reluctantly danced with two more groups of younger students. He then had to dance with every girl who had asked him to the ball, except for Pansy; she was too busy chasing Weasley around.

A slow song started to play, and the crowd started to thin out.

"Tis the last one, find yer lurves buhfore it's too late," they all heard the skeleton screech.

A big group of fifth years made their way over to Draco. He frowned at them. "Don't you have your dates to go to?" he snapped. They scampered away. He walked around to look for Hermione. He saw her sitting on the base of a faux tree, looking around the room. He had to glare at Dean Thomas, Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Creevey brothers, and some dorky fifth-years so that'd he'd beat them to her.

He kneeled down behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Dance with me?" he whispered into her ear.

Hermione turned around, startled. He was glad that she relaxed when she saw that it was him. He was even happier when she stood up, smiled at him, and pulled him to the dance floor.

Draco held Hermione's tiny waist and took her right hand. Her hand was colder than he'd expected. They started moving to the music. After some time Draco felt Hermione's head rest on his shoulder. He drew her closer and stroked her hair while they danced.

The music stopped and they stayed that way.

The Hall was oddly silent. He looked around.

Everyone was looking at them. Potter and the Gryffindors looked shocked. Theo and Blaise were smirking at him, but the other Slytherins were scowling. From a distance, he could see Weasley. His face was red, and he looked mad. Pansy, who was beside him, had her eyes narrowed into slits. She screamed in fury.

Instantly, Hermione broke away from him. "I… I'm sorry," she stammered. Her eyes were wide. She looked around the room, gulped, and ran out of the Hall.

Draco started to follow her. However, he suddenly heard his name and stopped involuntarily.

"… boy and girl, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy!" he heard Ernie Macmillan say from the stage. He was standing beside mounds of magical eyeballs, holding a Honeydukes gift certificate in one hand and his wand in the other. "Mr. Malfoy would you like to say something?" he said into the wand. He motioned for Draco to come up the stage.

Draco did so, reluctantly. "What, Macmillan? Who won? Am I supposed to announce it or something? Make this quick," Draco mumbled.

"_You_ won, Malfoy," Ernie whispered, thrusting the gift certificate at him. "You and Hermione."

Draco rolled his eyes, took the certificate and wand from Ernie and said to the crowd, "Thank you, thank you. Now _scram_ and get back to your dormitories!" He turned to Ernie. "You're in charge."

He jumped from the stage and ran out of the Hall, hoping to catch up with his date.

* * *

Here was my inspiration for Hermione's look: http: //news. xinhuanet. com/ english /2007-09/27/xin_ (except her hair would be curlier, and more locks would be up..oh, and her dress has a slit) You have to take the spaces out, sorry about that.

Draco's is kind of like this, but hotter, lol: http: //z. hubpages. com/u/ 173991_f260. jpg Don't forget to take the spaces out.

Review, please? :D


	6. Surprise, Surprise

Wow, more reviews!

LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL: Thanks again. :)

xsolitaryx-xsmilex: Thanks :) I looove Dramione; it's my favorite. :D

green-eyed girl: Thanks. :) I'm sorry to say this, but my updating will slow down a bit. Summer in my country has just ended, and I'm gonna go back to school next week. I'll try my best to update quickly, though. :)

blueskyshymoon08: Well, they're a bit shocked because Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger are slow dancing. :)) Everyone always thought that they hated each other. Or disliked, anyway. Sorry if it confused you. Thanks for reviewing. :)

anonymous28: Thanks. :) Here's the update.

Courvoisier: Ooooh, yes. Thank god I did't drool all over the keyboard when I was writing that... LOL. Thanks for reviewing. :)

jessluvsfang: Thank you so much. :)

Here's a big THANK YOU! (:D) to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Favorites lists: xsolitaryx-xsmilex and jessluvsfang

Another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Story Alert lists: xsolitaryx-xsmilex, WhiteRoses96, iamnotafreakingGOTH, wealseyismyking15, evil-KAGURA, Ifyoulovemesmile, Silver Thief, and FairyPrincessWithATwist

Lastly: THANK YOU!, 2angelwings, for adding me to your Favorite Authors lists. You are sooo kind-hearted. lol :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not JK Rowling. No matter how many times I close my eyes and wish... I'm still plain old me. LOL

* * *

It was Monday, just before lunch, when Draco finally got to talk to Hermione.

He had sprinted to their dormitory after the ball, but he was too late; she was inside her room with her door locked. He knocked repeatedly, but she didn't answer. He even yelled, "We won your bloody contest, you know!" and slipped the parchment from Honeydukes under her door, but he got no reply. He gave up after an hour. He retreated to his room, banging his door.

Now, he had her cornered in the corridor outside the Great Hall. Students were looking curiously at them as they entered the Hall, so he pulled her to a broom cupboard in another corridor.

"Granger," Draco said in a soft voice. He saw Hermione look a bit relieved. "Did you think I was mad?"

Hermione didn't say anything. She had looked a bit timid

"Well, I was; I stood there for an hour," he said through gritted teeth. "Malfoys don't wait, you know!" He saw her roll her eyes. "Anyway, it doesn't matter." He looked into her eyes.

Her cheeks had turned pink, but her expression changed into apprehension. "Look, Malfoy, people are going to think…" She trailed off, embarrassed.

"We don't have to care what people think," Draco said slowly, "If… we know that it isn't true." His heart sank as he said it. He looked into her eyes. "But… can't we at least be friends?" He held out his hand. "Hermione?"

Hermione looked so shocked that, for a moment, he regretted having said her first name. However, she began to smile. She took his hand, paused for a moment as if to test the feel of it, and then shook it. "Alright," she said. "Draco."

He loved the way he said his name.

* * *

Hermione and Draco walked into the Great Hall side by side with small smiles in their faces. They nodded at each other before parting ways.

Everyone started whispering at once.

"I told you, they're _together_!" Hermione heard Lisa Turpin whisper to her friend Mandy Brocklehurst.

"That's what happens when two people share living space, you know?" she heard Hannah Abbott say, quite loudly.

Hermione's smile faltered. She looked at Hannah. Hannah raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hermione, don't mind her, she's just jealous," Parvati said, pulling Hermione to the Gryffindor table. "She asked Malfoy to the ball and he turned her down. She's just bitter."

Ginny moved to sit beside Hermione. "Where were you during the whole weekend? I waited outside your dormitory a couple of times, but it seemed like no one was there."

"I'll talk to you later," Hermione whispered. Parvati and Lavender were trying to listen in.

"Is it true, Hermione?" Lavender breathed out. "Are you and Malfoy together?"

Everyone who had heard looked at Hermione, waiting for an answer.

"We're just friends," she said honestly.

"That's what they all say," they heard Hannah Abbott drawl from the Hufflepuff table.

"Do you want me to hex her?" Ginny said, throwing Hannah a scathing look.

"Not worth it," Hermione muttered, starting to fill her plate. "Where's Harry? Ron?"

"Oh, them," Ginny said. "They're avoiding you, because they think you _are_ with Malfoy."

Hermione stopped piling her plate with mashed potato and peas. "What? Where are they?"

Ginny pointed to the farthest end of the table, where Harry and Ron were eating silently.

Hermione stood up and walked briskly over to them. Ron looked up and spotted her. He nudged Harry, looking very much like he wanted to bolt right out of the room. Harry looked up and gulped. Hermione reached them before they could escape. She sat beside Harry.

"Draco Malfoy and I are not together," Hermione whispered to them. "We're just friends."

Harry's expression cleared a little, but Ron looked mad.

"What was that dance then?" he demanded. "And who says you're allowed to be friends?"

"He's my date, aren't we allowed to dance?" Hermione asked him. "And why do I need your permission to be friends with someone?"

"Well… you didn't even dance with m---" He stopped, his ears red. He looked at his feet.

"You were too busy _attending_ to your date, Ronald," Hermione countered. "It isn't my fault."

"She's right Ron," Harry mumbled. "Just leave it. She's had her say, and I believe her. You should, too." He patted Hermione's shoulder. "Besides, if she wants to be friends with Malfoy, it's fine. He seemes nice enough when he's talking to her. And, so far, I haven't heard him insult her this year."

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said, kissing Harry's cheek. This seemed to annoy Ron further.

"Students, may I have your attention, please?" Professor Dumbledore said. Everyone fell silent. The Headmaster never addressed them over lunch before. "Thank you."

Hermione noticed that Professor Vector was smiling very widely. Professor Trelawney, who had come down from her tower for a rare lunch, was readjusting the bangles on her wrists. Professor Sinistra was looking at her reflection on a spoon.

"Now, now, at the beginning of term, I announced that I have failed to hire a Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. I was considering one, but he was busy for the first two months of the year. He is now free, however, and he has come to Hogwarts." Dumbledore looked towards the door, which was shut. Hermione noticed that his lips were twitiching. "Boys and girls, I give you your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, rhythm guitarist for the Weird Sisters, Professor Heathcote Barbary."

The doors immediately flew open. They saw a wand wave for a millisecond before a loud sound filled their ears. Rock music started to play. The corridor outside began to emit a cold smoke. A man stepped out of it and walked into the room.

The Hall was suddenly filled with whispers and squeals.

"Oh my God, it's Heath Barbary!" Lavender shrieked. Several girls did the same.

Hermione looked at their new teacher as he walked past them. His dyed purple hair was longish, cut just above his shoulders. It looked windswept, giving him a jaded rock-star look. He was tall, fit and tanned. He was wearing a black dragon hide jacket and sleek black sunglasses. He reached the teachers' table and shook Dumbledore's hand. Professors Vector, Sinistra and Trelawney were smiling so widely, Hermione wondered whether their cheeks hurt. The older teachers had their eyebrows raised; Snape had even put on a bored expression.

Heath Barbary stood there, about to say something. The screaming stopped. After a minute, he said, "Hey." Some girls were heard squealing. "You can all just call me Professor Heath. See ya."

Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout exchanged looks, as if to say, "He's having students call him by his _first name_? Incredulous!"

The Hall grew noisy as lunch ended.

The sixth year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw classes bragged that they would be having Defense Against the Dark Arts after lunch. They were stumped when the Heads of Houses began handing out new schedules for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"We're having double DADA tomorrow with the Slytherins," Harry said, looking at the schedule. Ron looked very, very pissed.

* * *

Draco walked out of the Great Hall, with a smile on his face. He had double DADA with Hermione tomorrow. Who cared if Weasley and the others were there? Who cared if Parkinson was there? Who cared if the teacher was an arrogant rock star? He walked to Charms with a new spring to his step.

"Drakey!"

He flinched. Pansy was coming to ruin his good mood.

"Drakey, didn't you see me at the ball?" Pansy demanded.

Draco paused for a moment. Actually, he hadn't. "I don't think so."

"You were too busy eyeing that Mudblood, huh?" Pansy screeched.

"Don't call her that!" Draco said at once. He had sounded fierce, and he could see that he had scared Pansy. He glared at her. "Don't call her that again, or I'll---"

"What's the matter, Malfoy? You started the fad, why ask others to stop for you?" Draco and Pansy turned around. It was Ron. "Or are you the only one allowed to call her that?"

Draco felt his hands curl up into fists. Ron got ready to hit him.

Harry and Hermione came running into view. They reached Ron before he could punch Draco. "Stop it, Ron!" Hermione said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

To everyone's surprise, he shook it off. "You're siding with him, aren't you?" he growled.

Hermione took a step back, looking hurt. "No, she was saving your arse," Harry snapped at him. He pulled Hermione along and they walked to the Charms classroom.

Draco followed after them. He wanted to sit with Hermione, but Potter had beaten him to it. He sat beside Blaise, fuming.

"You alright, mate?" Blaise asked. "Are you jealous of Potter?"

Draco's eyes widened. Did Blaise know?

"Don't kill me, okay?" Blaise said. "I was… kidding. Kidding is all."

"You better be," Draco mumbled. He had meant to sound mad, but he found it hard to while lying so much. What was worse, he was finding it harder to resist his feelings. He had been yielding to them for the past few days. He wondered if Blaise knew.

* * *

"Hey 'Mione, wait up!"

Hermione turned around. She was about to enter the Heads' Dorm when she heard Ginny calling her. She remembered what she'd promised during lunch. "Not there," Hermione said to her, "He might be inside. Let's find an empty classroom. They went down three floors.

"Okay, spill," Ginny said.

Hermione conjured beanbags for them. She sat down. "I was in my room for most of the weekend, doing homework. I only came out three times; once to gather all the food I can, and twice to wash up. My door was locked the whole---"

"Why is it locked?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I was afraid to talk to Draco---"

"_Draco_!?"

Hermione laughed nervously. "Oh… I'll get to that later."

Ginny had raised an eyebrow. "You needn't have worried during Saturday, he was in Quidditch practice for most of the day; we couldn't practice because of his ruddy team." She prodded Hermione to continue.

"I was afraid to talk to him after that dance we had." She looked fearfully at Ginny. "You see…I think I _like_ him, Ginny."

* * *

Draco walked to the lake with Blaise.

"What is this about again?" Blaise said. "I have to meet Ginny---"

"What do you know about me, Blaise Zabini?" Draco said. He looked into friend's eyes.

Blaise laughed. "They call you the Slytherin Sex God, mate, but I know you're just a ---"

Draco frowned at him.

Blaise sat down on the cold grass. "Okay, I'll be serious with this one. You may be good at Occlumency, Draco, but your actions give you straight away. I know that you don't want to be a Death Eater like your father. I know that you like a certain little Gryffindor, and you're trying _not_ to like her, because you're afraid."

"You're a git, you know that?" Draco said. "But you're damn _good_."

Blaise shrugged, smirking. Then he looked for a while at Draco, who was looking at the lake.

"Don't be afraid," he said. "You can always try." And he left Draco alone, allowing him to think about his parting words.

"If you tell anyone, I'll kill you!" Draco called after him.

"I'll try!" he heard Blaise shout back.

* * *

Hermione slowly went up the stairs to the fifth floor. She had just parted with Ginny. Ginny swore not to tell Harry and Ron about their big talk, so she felt safe. She reached the seventh floor. She found Draco about to open the portrait hole. "Wait!" she cried.

Draco spun around. He smiled. "Hey."

Hermione ran to him. "Hey," she said, breathless, when she had reached him.

"You look like…" Draco began.

"Just say the password!" the knight said. "We have a party to go to!"

"Snape's underpants," he snapped. The portrait hole opened.

"I look like Snape's underpants?" Hermione said, pouting. She was about to enter the common room when she stopped.

They seemed to have talked to the wrong painting. The room she was about to enter looked so sleek and modern. It had plush, dark gray carpeting. The walls had off-white wallpaper with shiny silver lining. There was a big gray couch that could have been a bed, two big recliners and a love seat of the same color. There was a glass coffee table and a big glass bookcase. There were white lamps scattered around. In a corner, there was a black marble fireplace with a roaring fire. In another corner of the room were three doors. They were silver, gray and white.

"This is the wrong room, Draco," Hermione said. She moved over to let him see.

"It's not, it's not!" squealed a voice. It was the lady. "This is your room, alright? Just enter, we're in a hurry!"

Draco and Hermione rushed inside.

Suddenly, there was a very loud pop. Hermione jumped and knocked over a lamp.

Draco caught it with his seeker reflexes. He smirked at Hermione.

"Alright, alright," Hermione muttered. She took the parchment that appeared with the pop. She opened it and read:

_Dear Mister Malfoy and Miss Granger,_

_Congratulations!_

_I am delighted to see that you have learned the lesson I have wanted to impart since appointing you two to office! Well done._

_You may now enjoy your proper living quarters. This is what the room holds for those who learn the important value of friendship._

_Good night,_

_Professor Dumbledore_

"Oh," Hermione said. Her cheeks were pink. So that was the lesson?

Draco walked over to the gray door. He looked inside. "The bathroom is exactly the same!"

Hermione rushed over to the white door, which she was sure was her room. What if it was still the same, just like the bathroom?

The room had lilac wallpaper and pale gray carpeting. The bed was small, but big enough to hold a vast number of pillows in different shades of violet. Near it was a furry, circular purple rug. The bedspread matched the walls. There was a big wooden bookcase in the corner, and a desk. The wardrobe was big, wooden, and painted in dark purple. There was also a wooden bedside table painted in the same dark shade.

Hermione opened it to check something. Inside it were two frames containing pictures; one was a moving image of herself with Ginny, Harry and Ron at the Burrow, and the other was a still family portrait.

She squealed. The room was exactly like the one she had at home! The only thing missing was her telly, her boombox, and all her other electronics. She jumped into the bed, laughing. The day had turned out to be a big surprise; she and Draco became proper friends, the school acquired a rock star to teach them Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the horrid, horrid Heads' Quarters wasn't horrid anymore.

There was a knock on her door. "Come in, Draco" she said, not bothering to get up.

Draco barged in. He looked around. "Satisfactory," he commented.

"Can I see what your room looks like?" Hermione said, finally getting up.

"You can," Draco said slowly. "But… you may not." He smirked at her.

"What? That's unfair!" Hermione exclaimed. "You've seen mine…" She looked at him with the saddest, most pitiful expression.

Draco groaned. "Fine," he mumbled, leading her to the other room. How dare she use puppy-dog eyes on him? They reached his room. He opened the door for her.

Hermione entered the room and looked around.

It was so different from hers; it was very large and grand. The floor and walls were made of black marble, and there were white marble pillars at the four corners. The room had big windows that stretched from the ceiling to the floor; the white silk curtains were drawn, letting light enter the room. There was a giant four-poster bed against the left wall, in the very middle. The bed looked imposing; it was made of what looked like chrome, and the posters were almost as high as the ceiling. Its image was softened by the gauzy white drapery. The beddings and pillows were white. In each side of the bed were two stone bedside tables. A corner of the room looked like a small living room. There were black leather couches and black leather recliners. The coffee table was made of smooth black stone. There was a stone book case in another corner, and another recliner beside it. There was a door at the corner.

"What's that?" Hermione pointed at the door.

"Walk-in closet," Draco said smoothly. "Allow me." He walked to it and opened the door.

Hermione stepped inside. Rows and rows of black wizarding robes hung in one corner. In another corner hung at least half a dozen Hogwarts school uniforms. Hermione spotted some Muggle clothing. They were branded; she could see Armani, Gucci, Polo, Ralph Lauren and Salvatore Ferragamo labels. "How…?"

"My mother takes secret trips… she secretly loves Muggle fashion. No one knows. She didn't even tell me, I just found out," he said quietly.

Hermione smiled at him. Then she noticed that he had a hand behind his back. "What's that you've got there?" she asked.

"It's nothing," he said. After a while he held out his hand. There was nothing in it. "See?"

"_Priori Incantatem_!" Hermione said, pointing her wand at his hand. Several photo frames appeared. "_Accio_ frames!" They zoomed to her hand.

"That's unfair, Granger," Draco said. "Give them back!" he moaned.

"They're just pictures, what bad can they---" Hermione began to say. She stopped when she saw that she was holding a baby picture of him. "Aww!"

Baby Draco had a few wisps of white-blond hair. His silver eyes were wide, and they blinked a few times. His skin looked so smooth and pale. He was wearing his birthday suit.

"Give it back!" Draco said. His face was beginning to show a light shade of pink.

"Okay," Hermione said, laughing. She threw it back to him. She looked at the others in her hand. One was a portrait of him as an eleven year-old, in Hogwarts robes. Another was a more recent family portrait, he looked fourteen. His parents sported stiff smiles, but he was unsmiling. The last one looked the most recent; he was probably sixteen already. He had a small smile, and he looked handsome and peaceful. Beside him was his mother. She was a beautiful woman, with long white-blond hair, light blue eyes, and skin lighter than her son's. Narcissa Malfoy smiled up at her. "Beautiful."

"Yeah," Draco said. "Of course, I take after her…"

Hermione laughed. "Alright, I'll agree, I'm in _your_ place, after all." She gave him the frames back. "Aww… your baby picture was so cute! You looked like a little angel."

"Don't tell anyone that you saw it, because I'm hiding it," he said, setting the frames down on a shoe ledge. He walked over to her with a daunting look. "Or else, I'll…"

"You'll what?" Hermione challenged, looking up at him.

He leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

Surprise, surprise.

Hermione was shocked, but she couldn't help feeling nice. She started to kiss back until she realized what she was doing. She gasped, pulled away, and ran out of his room and into her own, locking the door.

* * *

Well. Um. Haha.

Review? :D

It's 3:57 am, Friday, here in my country, and I'm TOTALLY RISKING GETTING BEHEADED (I'm sneaking) just to get this chapter posted. Later this morning, at 6 am, I'm going away for my last summer trip. I won't be back till Saturday night, so I'll probably not be able to update until Sunday (Saturday for you, if you're from the West... we have different time zones, lol). Then, after Sunday, school starts. Updating will slow down for a little bit, but I'll try my best to post future chapters as fast as I can. :)

Please review though. It's the only way I know that people like my story.

ohmygodddmygrandmothercaughtme. :O gotta go. see you all soon! :D (delly, pray for mehhh :|)


	7. Notorious Heath

Yay, more reviews!!! My quasi-near-death-experience (sneaking off at way past 3 am before The Last Trip to update) was very much worth it. The Last Trip was loads of fun, too! It was so HOT. In more ways than one :D Thanks for those who wished me a good trip; your wish came true!

LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL: Thank you so much! Here's the next chapter :)

anonymous28: Thanks. :) I know right, he would've been so darn cute! Yeah, that's how his room at home is supposed to look like... in my imagination, anyway. lol

tatortot729: You are so welcome; the sacrifice was so worth it. :D I HAD SO MUCH FUN, thanks. I went to three provinces (sort of like... states? but much smaller!) in two days!!! The car, the road, the people, the pool- awesome! Anyway, I'll stop rambling; here's chapter 7. :)

Courvoisier: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! I got caught once, but I fibbed a little, and I escaped major trouble. Whew. The sacrifice was worth it. :) OHMYGODIHADSOMUCHFUN (points to my reply to tatortot729). Thanks for reviewing! :)

blueskyshymmon08: I enjoyed the trip, thanks (points to my reply to tatortot729 once more, lol). I'm glad you liked it. :) Thanks for the review! :D

TheBigBadWriter: Thanks. :) Here's the next chapter.

jessluvsfang: Thanks; I'm glad you like the story. :) Here's the next chapter.

aviddaydreamer: Well, I'm glad to hear that. :) Whew. I'm afraid of bad grammar. I think I owe it to the readers, and to the english language.. to try and use it properly, you know? lol I'll use do the writing in MS Word again to make sure I haven't made any grammatical errors. Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like Draco. AND I'm glad you like Ron being excluded! Hahahahahahaha. (sorry, Ron lovers) :)

Wolfdog Delly: For chapter 5: Cash! I knew it. I really, really must go there. I haven't been there in years. I have to taste a Pop-Tart, I have to. Thanks for the review. :) For chapter 6: SIR DUSTIN. Omg. Ooh. : Yes, PESTER ME PLEASE. I'd love that. Oh, and the kiss? Hermione didn't expect it either. =)) Thanks for reviewing.

The green-eyed girl: Thanks! :) Um... Do you.. LOVE Ron? Well, for your sake, okay, I will TRY not to make him too mean. But in this chapter... I don't know... He's not really MEAN-mean; just rash and misunderstood. I don't like Ron, but I do respect people who like him. Sometimes. :)) I'll try to lessen the Ron-bashing for you. :)

lalapisani: Thank you! :) Here it is.

lyssalovie: Haha. :) Well, here's the update. Document Manager is working again! I waited all day. I really wanted to update today, as promised.

emliy02: I'm glad you're interested. lol Thanks for reviewing.

Here's a gigantic THANK YOU! (shucks. i love that sound :D) to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Favorites lists: lalapisani, aviddaydreamer and lyssalovie

Another gigantic THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Story Alert lists: Hermione D., Kaleigh Windelynn, lalapisani, TheBigBadWriter, aviddaydreamer, The green-eyed girl, mia1601 and emliy02

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling owns it, remember? Gosh, I'd really love to own Draco though... Sigh.

* * *

Draco prodded his cornflakes around with his spoon. He pushed his bowl away and sighed.

"Mate, are you sick?" Blaise asked him. "You seem under the weather. Are you… not getting any? When was the last time---?"

"Shut up, Zabini," Draco muttered. He was looking at the Gryffindor table.

Blaise sighed. "Did you two fight?" He put some butter on his toast. "Theo, pass the jam."

He leaned towards Blaise so no one would hear him. "I kissed her last night," he whispered.

"Nice," Blaise said. "What's wrong? She didn't like it? Impossible!"

"I don't know," he whispered. "I think she kissed back, but then she pulled away immediately and ran out."

Blaise looked at Hermione for a second. "I think I know what's going on. Sit next to her later."

And that was all Blaise said before he gulped his last bit of toast and walked out of the Hall.

* * *

Hermione reached into her bag for her book, _Crucial Magical Defense_.

"You're not getting a comb, are you?" said the guy beside her.

Hermione stiffened. The voice was not Harry's. It was Draco's. She straightened up. "No," she said, showing him the book. "See?"

Draco nodded approvingly.

Hermione turned away from him. She felt her face growing hot.

"Ooh, Hermione, did you put some cheek tint on for Professor Heath?" Lavender asked her. She and Parvati were wearing lipstick, mascara, and (of course) cheek tint. They both had sleek hair.

"_I did not_," Hermione said through gritted teeth. She heard Draco snigger beside her.

Hermione put her head in her hands. This was going to be a long DADA period.

* * *

Heath Barbary walked into the room. His purple hair was more windswept than ever. He was wearing a black Weird Sisters shirt, distressed jeans, and an even more distressed denim jacket. He had no shades on. They could all see his long-lashed, dark blue eyes.

_Big deal_, Draco thought. Every girl had her eyes on him. Then again, he _was_ the teacher.

"Morning," he said in his husky voice. "I'm going to take over where your professors left off." He conjured a big red swivel chair and sat on it. "We will be having a non-verbal duel. Any questions?"

Two hands shot into the air; it was hard to tell which one was raised first. Lavender and Parvati looked at each other with narrowed eyes before looking expectantly at Professor Heath.

He called Parvati first. She flicked her hair with a big, smug smile then smirked at Lavender. "Sir, why is it that you joined us only now? Why weren't you here at the start of the year?"

Professor Heath raised an eyebrow at her. Then, he said, "I was on tour with the band."

Lavender spoke next. "Please, Sir, did the Weird Sisters break up? Why are you here?"

Professor Heath tapped the sides of the chair with his fingers while he spoke. "Hell no. The tour's over and I got bored after two days. I saw the ad for this teaching post and I thought... Hmm, why not? So I'm here." He stood up. "Any more questions? About _today's activity_, I mean."

Whispers of excitement and comments filled the room, but no hands were raised. He snapped his fingers, and everyone grew quiet.

"First, you all practice," he said. "Pair up… no one from your own house," he added.

Draco grabbed Hermione's arm before she could talk to the Slytherin nearest her (Theo).

"I'm your seatmate, I get dibs," he said smoothly. She sighed.

Instantly, he felt as stiff as a board. He couldn't even talk. _Damn_, he thought. _I'm good at full-body binds, why'd she get me first? _

Hermione was smirking up at him. She looked so sexy that he forgot to be mad.

Suddenly, they heard a shriek. Hermione immediately released Draco from his body-bind.

It was Lavender. "Oh Professor, I feel horrible," she said. "I… I think I'm going to faint…"

Professor Heath walked over to her. As soon as he was near enough, she leaped and fell into his arms. Her eyes were closed. Professor Heath's lower lip was twitching.

Tracey Davis, her partner, looked envious. "I didn't do anything yet," she spat out. "I wish I had though."

"Not to worry," Professor Heath said. He Levitated Lavender (much to her disappointment).

"Please take her to the Hospital Wing," he said to Tracey. "Carry on," he said to the class.

After ten minutes, Daphne Greengrass tried Lavender's stunt. Again, Professor Heath saw through it. He asked Parvati, her partner, to take her to the Hospital Wing.

Professor Heath looked at Hermione, as if expecting her to faint in front of him. She held her chin high and turned away with dignity. Draco felt very proud of her. Even Professor Heath looked impressed.

* * *

They were given another half hour to practice. After that, they were paired randomly for the duel proper. Professor Heath told them that they were to stop once he said so.

Hermione was paired with Neville. Neville looked a bit scared. Hermione smiled at him to reassure him. Harry was paired with Blaise. Hermione knew Blaise was good, but she had faith in Harry. He was getting good at Non-Verbal magic; he had practiced over the summer. She was scared, however, of the match between Draco and Ron.

First up were Harry and Blaise. It was hard to tell what spell was being cast, but Hermione recognized a Hurling Hex, Knock-Back jinx, a Trip jinx, and other jinxes used to inflict physical injury. When Harry managed to disarm Blaise, Professor Heath ended the duel. Hermione saw that he had scribbled two O's on his grading parchment.

Hermione made sure to be subdued while dueling with Neville. She used jelly jinxes on Neville, so that the worse thing that could happen to him was to trip. Neville was able to block it. Professor Heath stopped it after five minutes, looking bored. Hermione shook Neville's hand. "Well done, "she said truthfully.

Next were Crabbe and Goyle, whose duel lasted less than a minute; they had managed to get themselves covered in boils in fifteen seconds. They left for the Hospital Wing.

Hermione gulped. It was time for Draco and Ron's duel.

* * *

"Bow," Professor Heath repeated for the second time.

Draco scowled. He didn't want to bow to _Weasley. _Weasley didn't seem like the type that would bow to _him_ either.

Professor Heath sighed and made them both bow with his wand. "Alright, go."

_Impedimenta_, Draco thought immediately, pointing his wand at Ron. Ron was lifted off his feet; he flew backwards and hit the wall. He groaned in pain, but got up. He glared at Draco for a long time, but nothing happened.

Draco smirked. He spread out his arms. "Come on, Weasley," he drawled. He looked Weasley in the eye. "I'm waiting here. One, two, three… four, five, six…"

Ron roared, threw his wand away, ran towards Draco and knocked him down. He punched Draco in the gut, repeatedly, and was about to punch his face when Professor Heath stood up and Stupefied him. He was still glaring. He blinked rapidly.

"I could've done it myself," Draco growled, getting up.

"Mr. Malfoy, I have just saved your pretty little face from being mangled, so I suggest you either thank me, or shut up," Professor Heath said. The class looked at him. It was the most shocking thing that came out of his mouth so far.

Draco touched his face. "Thank you," he mumbled. "Sir," he added quickly.

He turned to Ron. "And you. Muggle dueling will not be tolerated in my class. Detention," he said. "Ten o'clock tonight, my office." He saw Draco smirk. "That goes for both of you." The smirk was wiped off Draco's face.

"But Professor, I haven't done anything wrong!" Draco said indignantly.

"You provoked him, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Heath said. "That arrogant counting was not necessary." He frowned at Draco.

"But---"

"I've given you a rather high grade, Mr. Malfoy. If you fail to show up later I'm afraid I'm going to have to make some changes," he said in a flat tone. "And that's that. You may go to the Hospital Wing or sit down." He turned away, lifted his spell on Ron, and then looked at the rest of the class. "Next!" Tracey and Parvati stepped up.

Ron glared at Draco. "This isn't over Malfoy," he said under his breath.

"Whatever, Weasley," Draco muttered. He sat down beside Hermione. "It's unfair!" he said.

"You deserve it," Hermione said in her know-it-all voice. "You shouldn't have provoked him like that. You knew he had trouble with nonverbal spells. You didn't need to rub it in---"

"Alright, alright," Draco interrupted, his voice rising slightly. The others turned to watch them instead of watching Tracey and Parvati. "Or is it really just that? Are you siding with him? You don't even care that he probably caused my guts to bleed or that he almost wrecked my _pretty little face_ ---"

"I do care!" Hermione cried. "I care, alright? That's why I'm mad and that's why you deserve it! You could've been hurt!"

Draco was about to retaliate, but he stopped. She had just told him that she _cared_ about him.

"I'm sorry," he said. He stood up and pushed past Harry and Blaise. "I'm going to the Hospital Wing," he lied. He walked out of the room and into the nearest broom cupboard.

He whooped and did a little celebratory dance. But almost immediately, he stopped; his bruised stomach hurt from his big hip thrust.

* * *

Hermione stared at her classmates and her classmates stared back. She rolled her eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?" she snapped.

"Did you just say that you cared---" Seamus Finnigan started.

"Oh you sound just like Lavender and Parvati!" Hermione cut in. "Yes, I do care about his welfare; after all, he _is_ Head Boy, he's supposed to help me out with Head duties so I can't lose him, and we _are_ friends."

"Yeah, leave her alone," Harry said. He sat down beside Hermione. "_Do you_?" he whispered.

Hermione slammed her head into her waiting hands.

* * *

Draco ended up going to the Hospital Wing. Whooping and dancing had made the pain worse. He entered and saw Lavender Brown and Daphne Greengrass on separate beds, staring at the ceiling. Crabbe and Goyle had cream all over their faces. They were asleep.

Madame Pomfrey tutted. "That new teacher is notorious. It's his first class with you, and 25% of the class sent to the Hospital Wing! Imagine?" She looked at Draco. "What's wrong with you? Did he shoot an arrow straight to your heart, too?" she mocked, glancing at Lavender and Daphne. Draco scowled at her and she laughed. "Well, he _is_ quite good-looking, isn't he?" she mused.

Draco scowled at her some more. She rolled her eyes and asked him to sit down. "It's Weasley. He couldn't hex me without speaking, so he let his fist speak to my gut instead."

"Poor Draco," Daphne cooed from her bed. "What did Professor Heath do?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Stupefied Weasley and gave us both detentions," he muttered.

Madame Pomfrey asked him to unbutton his shirt.

_I could certainly do with some, but you're not my type_, Draco wanted to say. He bit it back, and laughed instead as he started to unclasp the buttons one by one. After all, nobody wants to mess with the person handling their health care.

* * *

Hermione didn't have an appetite for lunch. Instead, she went to the library. She tried to get some reading on Herbology done, but her mind wandered off to _other things_.

She thought about the kiss, which was never even explained. She smiled. She had liked the kiss. His had kissed her firmly, but his lips weren't rigid like Viktor's or sloppy like some Muggle boys' she had snogged with in the past. He had also held the side of her face, and his hand had felt nice and warm. She touched her cheek absentmindedly and replayed the scene in her head. It was marvelous.

But then she was _afraid_. She was afraid so she pulled away and ran, like some baby.

She sighed and grabbed her schoolbag. She'd never get any reading done now.

* * *

Draco felt exhausted by ten o' clock. He had arranged Quidditch practice from seven to nine, and he decided not to move it. Quidditch season was so near, and the first match would be Slytherin vs. Gryffindor.

He reached Barbary's office. He knocked.

Heath opened the door immediately. "Where's Weasley?" he said, looking behind him.

"I don't keep track of Weasley's schedule, sir," he said with a straight face.

Barbary rolled his eyes. "Come in." His office was messy; there were books, clothes and letters strewn almost everywhere. There were Weird Sisters portraits, posters, and records on the wall.

He motioned for Draco sit on a chair near his desk. "You are to be replying to fan letters. I've bewitched this quill, you don't have to copy my handwriting. You do have to _write_ a reply, though."

"But what do I tell it?" Draco asked. Was he actually going to _answer_ Barbary's fan letters?

"That's your problem," Barbary said, handing him the quill. He pushed a stack of envelopes toward him.

Draco grabbed one. It was pink, with little red flowers and hearts. He scowled and opened it.

_Dear Mr. Barbary, _

_I worship the Weird Sisters! I've bought every record, I've been to every concert, and I've worn all the different shirt designs. You, sir, are my favorite member! I love the way you strum your guitar, and the way your eyes-_

(She consumes the rest of the page with a description of Barbary's goooooorgeous looks_)_

_Loving you forever and always,_

_Lydia Lymph-Elysium _

Draco wanted to gag. She had even enclosed a picture of herself. It can be said that she has never been and never will be a handsome woman. Those were the kindest words Draco could find to describe her appearance. He held Barbary's quill at the ready. He had a few choice words for Lydia.

_Dear Lydia,_

_Go fuck off. _

He sighed and erased the words with his wand.

* * *

Ron blasted the door and walked into the room.

"MALFOY!"

He pointed his wand towards Draco. A jet of red light burst through it, and Draco was at the floor, dull and lifeless.

Hermione awoke with a scream. She stopped and looked around. She was in the couch at the Heads' Common Room. Draco wasn't on the floor, and Ron wasn't there. She was alone; she had fallen asleep while eating chocolate truffles.

_I will never eat those at night again_, she vowed. First, it gave her a nightmare. Second, it delusional; she actually thought that the Killing Curse had a red light. Lastly, it stained her uniform. She tutted and tried to wipe the stain with the back of her hand.

The portrait door opened. Draco walked in, looking exhausted. He saw her and smiled. "It's one o' clock, Granger. Were you waiting for me?" The smile turned into a smirk.

"No, I feel asleep and had a night…" she stopped. She didn't want him to know she'd been dreaming about him.

"You had a nightmare?" he said. "_I_had a nightmare. Barbary made us answer fan letters! At least Weasley got a bigger pile. Ha, serves him right for punching me."

"Oh, really," Hermione said, hoping that he would talk more and forget about what she said.

"So what was your nightmare about?"

_It was too good to last, _Hermione thought. "Oh, that. Nothing, really, it was just a weird dream." It was true.

"I was in it, wasn't I?" Draco said, wagging his eyebrows at her.

"Well, I'm having a nightmare now, with you in front of me," she muttered.

"You dream about me," Draco said to himself. "How flattering," he breathed out.

Hermione threw a throw pillow at him. Then she sat up. "You were killed. I didn't like it."

Draco sat down in the recliner front of her. "So who killed me?"

"Ron," she said, laughing.

"Fat chance," Draco muttered. He laughed as well. "Ah, but you didn't like it. I'm touched."

"We're friends, remember? I don't think people like it when their friends die."

"So... this is just because we're friends?" Draco said, looking into her eyes.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out at first. _Yes_, she told herself. _Tell him yes._ But instead, she stammered, "I… um, I…"

He walked to the couch slowly then sat down beside her. He looked at her for a while before pressing his lips against hers. He pulled away after three seconds, so that she didn't have a chance to do it herself.

Hermione looked flustered. "Draco," she said. "That kiss we had the other day…"

"I'm sorry for springing it on you," Draco said. "But I liked it a lot. Didn't you?"

Hermione couldn't answer. She wanted to tell the truth, but something was holding her back. She couldn't really tell what it was.

"Let me remind you," Draco said. He leaned in for another kiss.

This time, she kissed back.

The kiss was soft at first, but as it went on, it deepened; neither of them wanted to come up for air anymore. Pretty soon, their hormones went into overdrive. Draco's hands were starting to wander and Hermione's legs were starting to wrap around Draco's waist.

Draco pushed her down so that he was lying on top of her. He shrugged his robes off without tearing his lips away from hers. He started kissing her neck, unclasping the buttons on her shirt as he did so. He fully opened the shirt and caught a glimpse of her chest in a lacy white bra. He felt his pants get a bit tighter. He pulled her skirt down and immediately saw matching lacy bottoms. His pants got even tighter as he saw her bare legs.

Hermione pushed him away and he froze. Had he gone too far?

He relaxed when he felt her unbuttoning his shirt. She pulled it off him and yanked his tie so that he was leaning towards her. She kissed him fiercely. Her hands found their way into his hair and they stayed there, tugging and pulling at every lock they could reach.

Draco loved what she was doing, but he started to get guilty. What if she was just getting carried away? What if she ended up doing something she would regret afterwards? He pulled back and left Hermione with her lips poised in mid-kiss. He didn't want to end the magic, but he had to talk to her first. Then he felt confused. He never had the urge to ask a girl's permission before.

As he thought of the right words to say, he saw her recover and fumble for words. "Don't you go apologizing," he said quickly. "And don't tell me you didn't like it. I bet the portraits outside could hear your sighs." He couldn't help but smirk.

Hermione bit her lip. "I won't. I do like it. That's the problem."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What are you going on about?"

Hermione held his hands. Her hands were cold. He stroked them as he listened to her.

"What are we now?" she said timidly. "I mean, I thought we were friends…"

"We can still be friends…" he said, looking into her eyes. "…with benefits." He winked.

She laughed and wrenched his tie, pulling him closer.

"You're sure?" Draco said softly, looking into her eyes.

He got a fierce kiss for an answer.

* * *

Oh my God. I can't believe I wrote mature content. LOL

Haha. Shall I continue?

Hmm. Maybe not. Maybe I'll just cut to the morning after.

Review though... tell me what you think. lol


	8. From Breakfast to Lunch

Hey guys!!! :D Some of you are probably wondering why it took me 4 days to update. Well, I said in my notes in a previous chapter that school would be starting. My summer's over and I've been in school for almost a week now. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, but I was a bit busy. :D

First, I'd like to give a big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Favorites lists: LittleO318, LoganRogue, q-aldis, and -x-moonlightvampire-x-

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Right. For this chapter, I only have three review replies. They apply to everyone. :D

1) THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING. Thank you so, so, so much. The number of reviewers have increased and that made me really happy. :)

2) I guess can't please everybody even if I EXTREMELY want to... If you don't like the way things turned out, I'll just make it up to you somehow. LOL

3) Things are not what they seem at first.

That's all. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not JK Rowling. I'd love to own Draco and Harry and Blaise and Cedric and the Maurauders (except Peter, eewww)... but I haven't got the money and you haven't got the time to listen to me ramble. Right. Sorry. LOL

* * *

Hermione felt the sunlight stinging her eyelids. She turned away from the light and slowly opened her eyes.

She immediately saw a blur of silver and white. Draco Malfoy was staring at her. Shocked, she fell off the bed. The covers slid off her and she realized that she was naked.

"Morning, Sunshine," Draco said in between gales of laughter. He moved to the side of the bed and looked down at her. "Are you alright?"

Hermione pulled the covers up to her neck. Draco looked amused.

"No need, Granger," he said with a smile. "I've seen it all. I've even tasted---"

"Alright, I know!" she exclaimed, covering her ears. She was sure that her face was pink again.

He slid down and sat beside her. "Do you even remember anything?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course I do." She closed her eyes and then opened them again. Then she jumped up. "What time is it?"

"Oh no…" Draco said slowly. It was quarter-past eight. He didn't have a class at nine, so he didn't mind the time. He was staring at her and he forgot to wake her up.

Hermione read the clock on Draco's bedside table. She shrieked. She had fifteen minutes to get to Ancient Runes! She rushed out of Draco's room.

"Don't forget to_ Scourgify_ you hair!" Draco called after her. He got a loud bang on his door for an answer.

* * *

Draco strutted to the Great Hall for breakfast. He looked at the Gryffindor table and saw a handful of sixth years and seventh years that had no classes at nine AM. Hermione, of course, wasn't there. She would've been at Ancient Runes, panting slightly, but on time. Draco had heard her use _Scourgify_ to clean herself.

"You look happy," Theodore Nott observed as Draco, beaming, sat down on the table.

"I had a good night," Draco said, shrugging. He grabbed some pancakes and loaded his plate.

Blaise looked up from his bowl of cereal. "You just got some, didn't you?" he said.

"Who was it this time?" Theo said, not looking up from the Daily Prophet he had started to read. "Was it Greengrass, or some poor fifth year?"

Draco wrinkled his nose. He had been with Daphne before, and she was awful in bed. Strangely, he also didn't like the thought of sleeping with someone who wasn't Hermione.

"It's Granger, isn't it?" Blaise whispered, so that only he and Draco would hear.

Draco glared at him. "Are you practicing Divination every night or something?" he said through gritted teeth. How was it that Blaise knew anything and everything that concerned him? Was he a Seer?

"Draco, Draco," Blaise drawled. "I may not be a Ravenclaw, but I'm not dumb, you know."

Draco frowned. "Am I that easy to read?"

"I'm afraid so," Blaise said, shrugging. "So how was it?"

Draco grinned and leaned back. He sighed happily. "Bloody fantastic…" He closed his eyes and let his mind drift.

_Hermione kissed him like there was no tomorrow. She let go of his tie and focused on his trousers instead. She unclasped the buttons; rather, she ripped them open in a swift motion and pulled the trousers down in an even swifter one. She settled herself on his lap._

_"Where did you learn how to do that?" Draco moaned._

_Hermione shrugged and smiled. Then she pushed him down and began kissing him again. She started straddling him._

_Draco thought he would die of pleasure. Who knew Granger had it in her? He grabbed her shoulders so he could swap positions. _

_He moved to turn her and CRASH! They fell to the floor._

_"What the hell!?" Hermione muttered, rubbing her head. "Are you trying to kill me? That hurt!"_

"Draco, Draco!" Draco was pulled back to earth when he heard Blaise holler his name. He realized that he had been dousing his pancakes with maple syrup. His plate was now overflowing with the sticky substance. "Oy! Get a grip, man," Blaise said.

Draco ignored him and went back to dreamland.

_"Right, maybe we should go to my room," Draco muttered as Hermione rolled off him._

_"Yours?" asked Hermione. "Why not mine?"_

_"My bed's bigger," Draco said simply._

_"So?" _

_"Just follow me, Granger," Draco drawled. "_I'm_ the expert. They call me the Slytherin Sex---"_

_"Alright, alright, _Malfoy_," Hermione muttered. "Just shut it."_

_Draco stood up. Hermione leapt to his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Off to the Godly Sex Chamber, then."_

"Malfoy!" Draco grudgingly stopped replaying the previous night in his head to turn to Blaise, _again_.

"What???" he asked Blaise in an urgent tone.

"Nothing," Blaise said, smirking. Then he burst out laughing, banging his fists on the table as he did so. Draco glared at him before closing his eyes again.

_Draco pushed Hermione into the bed and kissed her roughly. He unclasped her bra and threw it to the floor. He looked at her chest and felt his boxers get even tighter (if that was even still possible). He dared to risk more constricting (but good!) pain by removing the only article of clothing she had left- her knickers. _

_Hermione was now completely naked in front of him. He thought he would come right there and then. She looked so perfect; she wasn't bony like Daphne or somewhat overly voluptuous like Padma. She was lean but curved at the right places. She had thin limbs, but her legs were toned. Her tan from Italy had been fading, but her skin had a lovely, healthy glow. Her boobs were surprisingly well rounded, and Draco's eyes couldn't help but be drawn at them. She was blushing madly as he stared, but she was smiling. _

_"Unfair," she murmured. "I'm naked and you're not." She slid his boxers down his legs and threw them to the floor. He smirked when she looked appreciatively at his package. "We'll keep the tie on," she whispered in a naughty voice. She tugged on it._

_Draco bent down and began to explore her body. He started by kissing her neck. He transferred to her breasts, kissing and sucking on each one in turn, earning sighs from her. He traveled lower to her flat stomach, until finally, his mouth settled between her legs. She was already wet. He smirked to himself. _

_He flicked his tongue on her entire length and she moaned. He shuddered; even her moans were turning him on. He licked and sucked repeatedly. Hermione's moaning quickened; she started clutching his hair and pushing his head between her legs._

_Just as she was about to come, Draco pulled back._

_Hermione propped herself up with her elbows and glared at him. "Why did you stop?!"_

_"I'm not having you come without me, Granger," he said evilly. "That just won't do."_

_"Let's get this over with," Hermione muttered, pulling him by the tie. She straddled him. "Now."_

_"Woah, woah, woah," Draco said. "You don't know what you're getting into---"_

_"I don't care," she whispered into his ear. "I trust you, Malfoy." Then she laughed. "_You_'re the expert, remember?"_

_He grinned at her. Maybe doing it quickly would lessen the pain. He decided to give it a shot. He closed his eyes and pushed into her in one swift motion._

_Hermione moaned._

_Draco opened his eyes. He had done it! He hadn't hurt her. He had made her so wet that entering wasn't hard any longer. He smirked to himself, thinking that he deserved to be a Slytherin Sex God._

_He took a deep breath and slowly pulled out of her. Then, just as slowly, he pushed back in. He could almost feel his eyes rolling backwards from the pleasure. He pushed and pulled out of her, trying extremely hard not to come too early. He looked at Hermione. Her eyes were closed, but she didn't look pained. He sighed out of relief._

_"Faster," she moaned._

_"You sure?" Draco asked, feeling very apprehensive._

_"Damn, YES!" she cried, squeezing him. He moaned, closing his eyes. _

_The next thing he knew, Hermione was pushing against him from below. He gasped, feeling his whole body shake from the pleasure. It took him a moment to recover from that._

_Once he got his senses back, he rammed into her faster, which was which she wanted anyway. Hermione arched her back and rose from the bed to meet his thrusts. They were both moaning loudly now, and he wouldn't be surprised if the ghosts pop in and check if people were being murdered or not. He felt her legs wrap around his back as he gave his few final thrusts._

_He couldn't wait; he came. He yelled incomprehensible words as he released into her. He felt her walls tightening around him. His eyes almost rolled out of their sockets; he was seeing stars already. He felt her climax; she bucked wildly, digging her nails into his back and screaming his name._

"Dude, if you're about to have a big O right here, get away from me and my cereal," Blaise said, wrapping his hands protectively around his bowl and inching away from Draco.

Draco frowned at him. Then, suddenly, he felt aware that his pants had shrunk. He looked down at the table and saw a bulge in between his legs. He groaned.

"Uh-oh," Blaise said in a singsong voice. "Someone's got a boner…"

"Argh, shut up Zabini!" Draco muttered, closing his eyes. He had to think of something disgusting, and quick! He looked at the doors and saw Filch pass by. He imagined him banging Umbridge in her pink office. Not only did he shrink back to normal; he also didn't feel like eating his pancakes anymore.

Blaise looked at him. "How was Granger?"

He took a deep breath, being careful _not_ to actually think about his question; it might set him off again. "She's a natural."

"You're daft, man," Blaise whispered. "You didn't even notice… That wasn't being natural."

Draco looked at him strangely. "You don't mean…"

"It isn't her first time, mate," Blaise said in a very low voice..

"How d'you know?" Draco muttered. He couldn't believe it! But then, she _was_ very good, maybe it was true… It was so _easy_ to enter… He shook the thought off. He refused to believe it. Then again, Hermione never said it was her first time...

"She and Ginny tell each other everything." Blaise said it like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"And I take it that the same goes on between you and Weaselette?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"Well, I know her favorite color, her favorite dessert, her favorite spot on the neck… you know, where she likes to be kissed, and where---"

"Oy, I'm eating here!" Draco cut in. "Skip the details. Are you sure? Who was the guy?"

Blaise shrugged. "Ginny doesn't know."

"I thought they told each other all their bloody secrets?" Draco snatched a muffin out of Blaise's plate in his frustration.

Blaise sighed. "Friendship has its limits." He took his muffin from Draco and bit into it.

* * *

Hermione walked to Herbology with Harry. At least, she _tried_ to. Last night was pretty… rough.

Harry said, "You alright? You're walking kind of funny."

"Um," Hermione sputtered, "I'm alright, I… I just fell from bed this morning, and my legs hurt. That's all." It was _partly_ true.

"Right," said Harry. "For a second there, I thought you…" He looked at Hermione.

"Nice weather we're having," Hermione said suddenly.

Harry chuckled.

"What? It's true!" Hermione countered, laughing. It _was_ true. The sun was shining brighter than usual; for the past few days, the sky had been cloudy and the air had been freezing.

"Alright, alright," Harry replied. "Hey, I just saw the sign in the common room this morning; next weekend is a Hogsmeade one. Are you going with anyone?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. Then she looked at Harry. "Are you going with Luna?" Harry paused. She stopped in her tracks to give Harry some time to answer.

"Well, I haven't asked her," Harry murmured. His face had turned to a light shade of pink.

"Do you… like her?" Hermione asked him.

"Nice weather we're having," Harry muttered, looking away. Hermione cracked up.

Just then, someone walked quickly past them. They saw a blur of red hair and realized that it was Ron. Hermione hadn't talked to him since he snapped at her at the Charms corridor, and Harry assured her that neither did he. Hermione wondered what Ron was doing these days.

Hermione pulled Harry into the greenhouse. A few Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were already there. They spotted Ron at the back. He was sitting by himself, looking quite lonely. He looked up and spotted them; Hermione immediately let go of Harry's arm.

"Do you think we should talk to him?" she said quietly.

"Not yet," Harry whispered. "I think we should let him think about his behavior some more."

An angry frown appeared on Ron's face when Harry started whispering to Hermione.

"Yeah, I think we should let his anger die down first," Hermione squeaked.

* * *

Draco entered Arithmancy in a good mood.

"Mate, stop smiling," Blaise said. "Professor Vector might walk in and think you have the hots for her." he and Draco were in the room so far.

Draco smirked. "I don't think so. You know, she seems keen on Barbary."

Blaise chuckled. "Didn't I tell you? I saw her offering to help him 'tidy up' his office. I don't think that's all, though, if you know what I mean." He and Draco exchanged knowing smirks. "Barbary said he'd get back to it some other time, and cleaning wasn't a priority of his. More like old ladies are not are not a priority in his shag list." Draco and Blaise cackled.

Padma Patil entered the room. She strode to Draco. "Are we patrolling tonight?" she said, slowly batting her lashes and staring at him.

Draco paused for a moment. He didn't feel the usual thrill of "patrolling" with his old set of girls. He wanted to reschedule and patrol with Hermione. "Um… no," he said slowly. "I'm relieving you. You have the night off."

Padma looked like she was slapped in the face. "Who will you be snogging tonight, then?" she asked sharply. "Is it _Granger_? You two are together, aren't you?"

Draco held his hands up. "Granger and I… we're friends," he said. "I'm still single, like I've always been. At the moment, that is." It was true. "I'm just don't feel like patrolling with you tonight."

Padma gasped. "Fine," she spat at him. "You know what? I'm never patrolling with you again." She spun on her heel and marched to her seat.

Blaise smirked at Draco. "Ouch."

"Her loss," Draco said in a bored voice.

Just then, Hermione walked in. She was accompanied by Potter. They always walked to class together ever since they fell out with Weasley. Draco felt his jaw tighten.

"Thanks, Harry," she said. "See you at lunch." Potter waved and left. Hermione walked over to an empty seat at the back.

Draco turned to look at Blaise. "I'm sitting with her---" He stopped. To his surprise, Blaise was smirking at him.

"Draco, my friend," Blaise crooned. "You're in _love_."

That stopped him from striding to the back.

* * *

Hermione was walking to the Great Hall when she was grabbed, gagged and shoved inside a broom cupboard. Her captor shut the door and locked it.

"What are you---" Hermione began. Her captor began to kiss her.

_It must be Draco_, she thought, feeling contented at once. But then she noticed that he didn't kiss like Draco did. Her captor's lips were thinner and they had a monotonous rhythm. He also didn't smell like Draco. She tried to pull away but her captor was too strong; he had her against the wall.

She fumbled for her wand and thought, _Lumos_.

Light filled the miniscule cupboard and Hermione saw Ron. She gasped, pushing him away.

"Ron!" Hermione cried. "What is wrong with you?"

Ron looked hurt for a second. Then he looked angry. "What's wrong? You've changed, and so has everything! That's what's wrong! You and Harry won't talk to me, you and _Malfoy_…" his voice broke.

Hermione took a step forward. "Ron," she said gently, "I didn't know … Do you _like_ me?"

Ron looked incensed. "Isn't it _obvious_? Last year, I thought we had an understanding. I know I was with other girls, but that was nothing. I thought you liked me!"

Hermione sighed. She had liked Ron briefly last year, but during the summer, it died out. It was because for the first time in a long time, she hadn't been with Ron and Harry during the summer. She had gone to Italy, where she was exposed to guys. She had a casual dating life that was free of complications. She had gone on dates with hot Italian guys. Hermione was surprised that she could attract them, let alone snog them. Then, that year, _Draco_ came along… But how was she going to explain all this to Ron?

"Look, Hermione," Ron said, breaking the short silence, "Do you like me or not?"

"I like you as a friend, Ron," she said, her voice trembling. "I liked you before… But…"

"Well, it's going to come back!" he muttered. "It has to. I know it will! You even kissed me back!"

He smiled at her. He looked happy at the thought of her kissing him back.

"I thought you were Draco," Hermione admitted feebly.

"_Malfoy_?" he growled. The hurt of being rejected and the anger for being dumped over an enemy appeared on his face. "So it _is_ true, about you and Malfoy!" He glared at Hermione. "I can't believe you. You're… you're a _slut_."

Hermione gasped.

Ron's anger slipped. "Hermione, I didn't mean---" He stepped towards her.

Hermione pushed him away and tried to open the door. She didn't feel like she deserved to be told _that_. He might've been hurt when he said it, but it hurt her deeply. She didn't feel like facing him right now.

"No!" Ron yelled. "No, please! Listen to me!" He hugged her from behind.

"Let me go, Ron!" She banged on the door in frustration. "I've been a good friend to you all this time. Talk to me only when you've filled that little brain of years with some sense."

"Hermione, I didn't--- I… I don't…I'm sorry," Ron stammered. "I didn't mean it, I promise…"

The door banged open. Blaise and Ginny stood outside the door, looking worried.

"Hermione, Ron?" Ginny murmured.

"Are you alright, Granger?" Blaise said. "We heard screaming and banging… Must've been some hot…"

"Ron, what did you do?" Ginny cut in, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm going to hex you if you actually hurt her."

"It's nothing, Gin," Hermione said.

"Hermione---" Ron began. He stopped when he saw the look on Hermione's face.

"Come on Gin, Blaise, let's have some lunch," Hermione said. She started walking to the Great Hall. Ginny and Blaise followed, looking confused.

"What was that about?" Blaise asked when he and Ginny finally caught up with Hermione. "We were about to use that cupboard for a quick snog when we heard you yelling. Ginny charmed the door open and there you were, fuming."

"Did he hurt you, 'Mione?" Ginny asked, worried. Hermione burst into tears. Ginny looked alarmed. "Oh no, what did he do???"

"He grabbed me and started to kiss me," Hermione said, in between sobs. "I thought he was Draco, but then I realized he wasn't so I pushed him away… but it's not that, I don't mind that! But then he told me that he liked me and he demanded that I like him back, because I liked him before and returned his kiss... But I told him I thought he was Draco and he called me… a slut. "

"Wow," Blaise said. "I didn't know Weasley was so dramatic."

"It doesn't run in the family, don't worry," Ginny muttered. "Are you alright?" She patted Hermione's arm.

"I'm okay, thanks for rescuing me," Hermione said, wiping her eyes.

"Wait till Draco hears about this," Blaise said. "He'll be furious."

"Don't tell him!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Don't tell me what?"

Draco had heard the last lines of their conversation. His eyes narrowed as he stood staring at Hermione, Blaise and Ginny.

"What are you three keeping from me?" he said suspiciously. He looked at Hermione, whose eyes were red. "Have you been crying?"

Ginny piped up. "Ron grabbed Hermione and locked her in a broom cupboard and then he started to kiss her and she thought it was you so she kissed back but then she found out it was Ron so she pushed him away and then Ron told her he liked her and demanded that she like him back, he thought she should because she liked him before and she returned his kiss but she admitted she only kissed back because she thought it was you and then he called her a slut and then we came and opened the door." She said all this one breath.

She doubled over and panted. Blaise cracked up. Hermione groaned.

Draco growled. "Weasley!" He started to walk back to the broom cupboard.

"Stop," Hermione said, touching his arm. "Too much of him is broken already. Don't go breaking his nose." She looked down, blinking back tears. She didn't want to lose one of her best friends, but she had to give him some space.

"She's right, dude," Blaise said. "Let's just get some lunch. All this drama is making me starve!"

* * *

:D Was that compromise (about the "morning after/continue/flashbacks" alright? Please tell me! PLEEEASE Review. :D


	9. Preposterous Proposals and Pasts

Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

TheDarkLordsQueen: Okay, here's more. Thanks! :)

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Catie_Malfoy_Black: THANKS :) I hope you're okay with the "content". I'm not sure how people felt about it being there.

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aquamarine.17: Thank you so much! :)

TigerLily8806: Thanks. :) I'm glad you like that, at least. Thanks for wishing me luck... I need it. Badly. :(

TheBigBadWriter: Thanks. Ron being a jerkface... is that bad or good? I don't mean to make him too much of a jerk, since Ron-lovers are reading. Lol.

aviddaydreamer: I did a GREAT job??? Whew. Thanks, lol. You'll find out about Prof. Heath soon and about Hermione sooner. :D

Aireeana: I've been wanting towatch Anna and the King for a long time! Unfortunately, I have yet to look for a copy. Anyway, I'm glad you like Draco anyway. Anout Ron: I'm a Ron-hater but I also feel sorry for him. Don't worry... for every chapter, I'm being sensitive about Ron. That was sensitivity, mind you. That broom cupboard scene was edited four times, lol. Sorry about the M content. They wanted it; not me, lol. Thanks for reviewing.

jessluvsfang: Glad you did. :) Thanks for reviewing.

MrsEdwardCullen13: Thanks. Oh, the happy sort-of-couple will! LOL. As much as I'd love to see them all kick Ron's arse... I can't. That would be too mean since Ginny's his sister. Lol. But maybe Draco can. I'll think about it. :) Thanks very much for your suggestion! :D

maripas: Thanks. :)

Wolfdog Delly: I know... Umbridge is scarier than Pince. :D

Here's a big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Favorites lists: Mandi-Lynn88, blueskyshymoon08, MrsEdwardCullen13, and kawaii-wildchild

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And another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added me to their Favorite Authors lists: aquamarine.17 and TigerLily8806

This is the last, I promise. THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added me to their Author Alert lists: lalapisani and maripas

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. Okay? Okay. :))

* * *

That night, Draco told Hermione they'd be patrolling together. All day, he had been meaning to ask her about what he had discovered over breakfast. He just _needed_ to know.

"Where's Padma?" Hermione asked in what she hoped was an innocent tone.

"Ravenclaw Tower," Draco said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Honestly, Granger, you call yourself Head Girl? And they call you the brightest witch of our age."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Let's just go and get this over with."

They started at the first floor. Before long, they had checked everything. They started to walk up the stairs to the second floor when they heard someone running towards them.

"DRAKEY!"

Draco froze. It was _Pansy_. She was wearing a silk dressing gown that she didn't even bother tying. A lacy black negligee was showing underneath. She flicked her brown bob at Draco and winked at him.

Hermione bit back a laugh. She decided to watch.

"What do you want?" Draco asked Pansy in an indifferent tone.

"Oh Drakey, haven't you heard? Hogsmeade weekend is coming! Come with me! _That_'s what I want." She smiled coyly at Draco. "Well, it's part of the list..." She looked at him suggestively.

In a panicked frenzy, Draco grabbed Hermione's arm and thrust into Pansy's view. "I'm going with her, see? We... have to watch over students and make sure they don't break any rules. You know… _Head duties_?" He smiled at his own ingenuity.

Pansy put her hands on her hips. "Then ditch her!"

Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

"DUH!" Pansy exclaimed. "Let her do all the work so you can come with me!"

Draco groaned. Then he looked Pansy in the eye. "I'd rather do hard work forever and ever than be stuck in Hogsmeade with you," he said flatly. "I do NOT like you, and I do NOT want to be seen anywhere with you," he said slowly, as if talking to a four year-old. "Got that?"

Pansy gasped. Hermione flinched; even she could feel what kind of pain that would cause.

"Go back to the dungeons or I'll take fifty points from Slytherin," Draco said sharply.

Pansy shrieked in frustration and ran off.

"That was mean, Draco," Hermione said, her hands on her hips. "Besides, you're not _really_ going to take points from your own house, are you?"

Draco shrugged and started to walk up the stairs. "I s'ppose not."

"And you're not _really_ dragging me along to Hogsmeade for 'Head duties', are you?"

Draco snorted. "Dragging? _Dragging_? Right now, I bet you're wetting your knickers at the thought of going with _Draco Malfoy_ to Hogsmeade… even if the trip is just for Head duties."

Hermione sighed and patted Draco on the back. "Oh, Draco," she said in a gentle tone. "I think you better go to the Hospital Wing. Have Madame Pomfrey give you something for delusion."

"You don't mean that," Draco said. He pouted at her. "You don't want to go with me?" He looked like a five year-old that got ditched by his mum.

Hermione felt like her legs were turning into jelly. _Oh please don't tell me that I'm really wetting my knickers_, she thought bitterly. "Well… was that your idea of an invitation to Hogsmeade?"

"Alright, alright," Draco said, holding up his hands. "I panicked, okay? But you have to go with me; otherwise I'll have to run away from Pansy all day." He cleared his throat. "So… Hermione Granger, go with me to Hogsmeade."

Hermione slapped her forehead with her hand.

"What?" Draco asked her. He didn't see anything wrong with that. What did she expect? Would he have to _ask_ her? He never had to _ask_ a girl to Hogsmeade before. They just sort of… asked _him_.

"Maybe I should just tag with Harry an---"

"Hey!" Draco cried. He grabbed Hermione by the shoulders. "You're going with _Potter_? Don't you dare!"

Hermione was getting more annoyed by the minute. She shook his hands off her shoulders. "Don't you tell me what not to do! What's it to you anyway? You and I are just friends, remember?" She bit her lip, anxious and excited to hear what he would answer.

Draco paused. He knew he was losing. He didn't want to have a row with her. He cleared his throat. "Okay, I'm _sorry_." Hermione stared at him. "Please go to Hogsmeade with me and not with Potter. As _friends_, if you'd like."

Hermione looked away. That wasn't quite what she wanted. _No, Draco, I _don't_ 'like'_, she thought. But "as friends" would have to do. Besides, they really _were_ friends only, no matter how many benefits their friendship had. "Alright," she answered. "We'll go as friends then. And just so you know, I was going to go with Harry _and Luna_. I wasn't planning to go on a date with Harry."

Draco sniffed. "That's what I thought." He looked away. They were at the third floor already. Suddenly, he remembered the question that was licking at the sides of his brain all day. "Hermione, last night… That wasn't your first time, was it?"

Hermione turned beet red.

Draco felt a bout of anger exploding inside him. _So it's true_, he thought. "Who was it?" he asked immediately.

Hermione maintained her silence.

"Was it _Weasley_?" Draco growled.

"No, it wasn't Ron," Hermione said firmly.

"Krum?" Draco muttered. "I always thought he looked like a pervert…"

"Viktor was _not_ a pervert," Hermione retorted. "We only snogged once, and that was it."

Draco smirked. "Ha! I always knew he was a whimp."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Wait a minute," Draco said slowly. "Don't tell me… was it some Italian scumbag?" She had spent the summer in Italy, after all.

"No."

"Oh yeah? How many guys did you snog there anyway?"

"I went on three dates," Hermione said.

"_Three_?" Draco exclaimed. "Tell me their names and I'll---"

"They're all Muggles," Hermione said exasperatedly.

"Well… You still have to tell me! I'll hunt them down…"

Hermione sighed.

* * *

"Let me get this straight… Their names are Alexandro, Ralphel and Matteo?"

"_Alessandro_, _Rafael_ and Matteo," Hermione corrected. She sighed.

For the last hour, she had been telling Draco about her dating life in Italy. As they went from the third floor to all the way to the seventh floor, she told Draco all about Alessandro (the slightly perverted but handsome boy who looked like Blaise and snogged and groped her for hours), Rafael (the shy and quiet cutie who talked with her all night long but never touched her) and Matteo (the sexy older guy who took her for a ride and a snog in his car). Her head was beginning to ache, and she had a mild desire to hex Draco (a desire, she realized, that hadn't popped up in months).

Draco already loathed all the Italian blokes with the stupid names. And he also wasn't sure what a car was. He heard they were used like brooms, except they ran on wheels and gasoline. He decided not to push his luck and ask Hermione about them; she looked extremely weary.

"You swear nothing else past groping happened?" Draco asked for the fourth time.

"For Pete Pettigrew's sake, YES!" Hermione cried. "Can we stop talking about this? It's making my head hurt."

"But who was it?" Draco persisted. "I _need_ to know!"

"I'm not telling you!" Hermione cried.

"I'll find out anyway," said Draco. "Just you wait." He pushed her against the wall, kneeled, and lifted her skirt. He pulled her red knickers down and reached up...

"Draco Malfoy, stand up this instant!" Hermione whispered. She swatted his hands away. Draco stood up. "What the fuck was that?" Hermione hissed furiously. She reached down to pull her knickers back on.

"I thought maybe I could force it out of you with some _persuasion_," Draco said, shrugging. "Guess not."

Hermione growled.

"Oh for the love of Merlin… IT'S HARRY!"

_What. The. Fuck. _

That was all Draco could remember thinking before he fell to the floor and passed out.

* * *

"Draco..."

Draco heard someone calling him.

"Draco, open your eyes. I know you're awake."

Draco heard someone calling him but he didn't give a bloody damn. He kept his eyes shut.

"Don't you want to know why I did it with Harry? I have a valid explanation."

Draco was tempted to get up and find out but he willed himself not to. For one, it was too darn embarassing to pass out (even if it was only for a couple of minutes) in front of her. Besides, he wanted to punish her for banging Potter by giving her a hard time. No matter what her reason was.

His blackout lasted for only two minutes. When he came round, he felt Hermione levitating him to the Heads' Quarters. She laid him on the couch and even propped the throw pillows up for him. He kept his eyes closed at all times, but somehow she found out that he was awake.

_I'm never speaking to you again_, he thought bitterly. Then he realized what that meant. _Okay, okay. Just for tonight then._

"Alright then, I'll go to my room now," he heard Hermione say. "Good night."

"OKAY, OKAY! I WANT TO KNOW!"

Draco groaned. He couldn't believe he sat up and broke his silence. He had opened his eyes and there she was, standing in front of him, smirking.

"If you weren't so bloody sexy with that smirk, I wouldn't talk to you," he said in a haughty tone.

Hermione laughed and sat down beside him. "You really want to know about it?"

"YES," he said. "When, where, and WHY POTTER!?!?" He still couldn't get over the fact that it was Potter. Potter never entered his mind. He looked like a goody-goody and Draco couldn't believe that he already _got some_... let alone from _Hermione, _his_ best friend._

Hermione sighed. "Alright, but promise to keep this a secret. Not even Ginny knows."

He raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"Remember that time when Sirius Black died?" Hermione began. "Well, he was Harry's godfather..."

Draco nodded. "Yeah, yeah, so?" He bobbed his right leg impatiently.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, I spent the part of the summer of fifth year in the Burrow with Harry and the Weasleys. One night, the night of Ginny's birthday, it was so hot and I couldn't sleep. I went outside because I fancied a walk. I saw Harry sitting in the garden and he was..." She paused and looked away.

Draco had the impression that she didn't want to share it with him. It must've been a private bond of deep friendship that she and Potter had, or some other girly emotion that he wouldn't be able to comprehend (nor would he _want_ to). She looked a bit sad and confused, and her expresiion tugged at his heart. He sighed. "Alright, skip the details, just tell me why... or how..."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Look, he was sad because Sirius died, okay? We had even been drinking that night because the twins sneaked in some firewhiskey for Ginny's birthday. Harry had been drinking _loads_. In the garden, when I saw him... Well, we talked about Sirius and..." She closed her eyes. "Anyway, I hugged him, then somehow we ended up snogging and... the heat... things got heated and we..." She trailed off.

"Where?" Draco asked. "In the _garden_?"

"No!" Hermione exclaimed. "Did you think we were that stupid? We could've been caught! It was in the... " She shifted uncomfortably. "Broom shed. Outside the Weasleys' house."

Draco's jaw dropped in disbelief. The mere fact that she shagged Potter boggled him; what was more, they had done it in the _broom shed of their best friend's home_, and on _Weaselette's birthday_! He wondered how Weasel and Weaselette (at that time anyway) would've reacted to that.

As if reading his mind, Hermione said, "I know it seems so wrong... but you have to realize that we were quite drunk... Harry was very depressed. Besides, at that time, I was starting to get a tiny crush on Ron... but I was upset and confused. That night was nothing, really." She looked at Draco. "It's the sort of thing that happens between friends on a hot summer night, with the aid of alcohol and intense emotions."

Draco gulped. "Intense emotions?"

"I mean that he was depressed and I was confused," Hermione explained. "Not that we were in love or anything."

Draco grinned; he was relieved. "How did you ever talk to each other again?" Draco mused.

She gave a dry laugh. "The first few days, we couldn't even _look_ at each other. But after a week we came to our senses and had a talk. We both agreed that it wasn't anything and that we would never tell..." She sighed and looked at Draco. "I trust you, Draco," she said softly. "Good night."

Draco watched her walk slowly to her room and close the door.

He sank back into the couch and looked at the ceiling, feeling rather tired. Moments later, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Hermione stared at the ceiling and thought about things as she waited to fall asleep. It had been over a couple of hours since she told Draco about her first time with Harry. She blushed at the thought. Not only was it embarassing; it was painful, too! She had never talked about it to anyone before. Getting it out lightened a bit off the load on her chest.

_Funny_, she thought. _Of all people to tell my broom shed tryst with Harry, it would be his sworn enemy._

What she couldn't tell him was how Harry had cried and poured out his sadness to her that night. She had cried then, too, upon listening to him talk about his loss. They were hugging, then they were kissing, and then it all went down from there. But it was supposed to be forgotten now. Draco just _had_ to bring it up. She sighed.

She shifted in the bed for what seemed to be the tenth time. Sleep just wouldn't come.

All of a sudden, she heard yelling outside.

* * *

Draco was sitting up on the couch, taking deep breaths. He was sweating despite the cold. He had just had a total nightmare.

He dreamt that Harry and Hermione were getting married in the Weasleys' broom shed. He was invited to be Hermione's bridesmaid, and he had to wear a horrible pink dress along with Weaselette and Loony Lovegood. His date was _Pansy_, and in his dream, Pansy's face was literally a pug's. He dreamt that she was chasing him around the Weasleys' garden; he ran and ran but the distance was getting farther and farther. Suddenly, Pansy turned into a snake and bit him.

That's when he woke up, yelling and clutching his neck (Pansy was supposed to have bitten him there).

He heard a door open. Hermione came rushing to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked. She sounded really worried. She looked him up and down. "Was it a nightmare?"

Draco was starting to feel embarassed again. But then he thought of something. He dropped the cool act and decided to turn the tables for once. "Yes," he whimpered.

She sat beside him and patted him on the back.

Pushing his luck, he placed his head on her lap. "It was horrible," he said, still in a whimpy voice. "You and Potter were getting married and I was your bridesmaid. You made me wear a horrid pink frock! Pansy was a pug, and she was chasing me... She caught me and bit me!"

He felt her shake with laughter. But moments later, just as he had predicted, she started stroking his hair. "It's alright. It's just a dream."

"Can I sleep in your room tonight?" he croaked in his feeblest voice. He turned his head so that he was looking at her. She looked beautiful even from below. The dim light from the fireplace outlined the side of her face. She looked back at him and didn't answer. She seemed to be thinking.

"Alright," she mumbled after the longest pause. He stood up slowly and pulled her to her feet. She led him to her room.

"Shall I sleep on the floor?" he said in a pitiful voice.

"No, you can sleep in my bed," she said. "The floor's _freezing_." She climbed into the bed and buried herself under her duvet. He did the same thing.

He smiled. His plan had worked. He laid back on the bed, feeling warm and content.

"Good night," he heard her say.

"Good night," he muttered back.

He closed his eyes.

He counted to a hundred before opening them again. The first thing he saw was Hermione staring back at him.

"I can't sleep," she mumbled.

"Me neither," he said. In the dark, he couldn't tell if she was blushing, but he guessed she was.

They heard thunder outside. It began to rain.

Hermione started shivering. "It's cold," she murmured.

"Come here." She didn't budge. He moved closer to her and hugged her. "Is that warm enough?"

"All better," she said. Her eyes began to droop.

He placed her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head. "Good night, Hermione Granger."

She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. "Night... Draco Malfoy," she mumbled before drifting off to sleep.

Draco smiled as he put her head back on his chest. He had planned to sleep in her bed so he can stare at her while she slept. Right now, he was getting more than what he had bargained for; she was asleep in his arms. He closed his eyes with a little grin playing on his lips, knowing that he wouldn't be having nightmares again.

* * *

I didn't get to do my homework on Saturday night for this. :| Mind you, I have TONS (I SWEAR) so Sunday (tomorrow) wouldn't suffice. Escpecially since I'm going out tomorrow to go to a University in the morning and have an Algebra-Chemistry tutoring session in the afternoon. I hope you like it at least, because I totally threw my time away for it. Lol.

I'm going to do my homework now. Review and tell me if you guessed that it would be Harry. :D For some reason, Draco didn't. LOL. Some of you might not like it like this.. but I really wanted the amnly Slytherin Sex God to pass out. LOL


	10. Heath, the Hog's Head, and Humberto's

I HATE YOU, SWINE FLU. :| That's all I can say. :| (Oh, don't worry, I don't have swine flu... and before anyone wonders... swine flu can't be transmitted through the Internet. LOL!!! Okay, I admit, that was a corny joke) Review replies!

TheDarkLordsQueen: I felt bad for Pansy, too! Lol, even Hermione did. Thanks for reviewing. :)

Courvoisier: OHMYGOD. Thanks for pointing that out. Immediately after I read your comment, I deleted the whole chapter just so I can correct the typo. Haha. Sorry for that bit of carelessness. It's corrected now. THANKS again. :D Thanks for reviewing, too.

TigerLily8806: I'm glad you like it, and that you like Draco. Thanks for reviewing. :)

Kaleigh Windelynn: Yeah, pretty dramatic eh? Lol. Thanks.

LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL: Thanks. :D

tatortot729: The sacrifice was alright under the circumstance. I think. Anyway. I'm glad you didn't see it coming! Lol. Thanks for the review.

MischiefManaged16: I'm glad you like Draco. :D Thanks for reviewing.

aviddaydreamer: Ooh, it's a recurring theme? I didn't know that. So far, I don't remember reading a fic where Harry and Hermione lost it together and stayed friends. Then again, I might have and forgotten it. WOW, you went to Italy, lucky you! I only guessed about Italian boys, LOL. Thanks!

TammaraG: I'm not sure if Narcissa will appear. I've thought about it before... but we'll see ;) Thanks for reviewing!

i'mHotyou'reNot: Thank you. :) I'm glad you think they're adorable together.

sonnetgirl101: I love, love, love him too! LOL. Thank you so much! :)

Aireeana: OMG, I love HarryHermione, too! But I also love HarryGinny and... argh, anyway, I'll shut up now. LOL. Thanks for reviewing!

blueskyshymoon08: You're smart! LOL. Thank you so mcuh. :) I wanted to hear that. LOL

TheBigBadWriter: Thank you. :) Here it is.

Here's a big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Favorites lists: i'mHotyou'reNot, TammaraG, sonnetgirl01, Artistgirl, and pervychich08

Another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Story Alert lists: MorganIsSoWeird, MischiefManaged16, TammaraG, xoFabjousxo, AthenaRowena, jessirose85, and jura nilson

And another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Author Alert lists: TammaraG and sonnetgirl01

Oh, and THANK YOU!, TammaraG, for adding me to your Favorite Authors list.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not JK Rowling. When will I ever stop saying this? When will you comprehend??? (Never, possibly, LOL)

* * *

"Out of the way, out of the way, Head Boy and Girl coming through."

The third years scuttled to make way for Draco and Hermione.

"This is totally unfair, Draco," Hermione whispered. "They were first in line, why don't we just wait?" She looked at the line behind them. Students were standing in line at the school gates for the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year.

"Malfoys don't wait," Draco drawled.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm not a Malfoy," she said. "I'm moving back---"

Before she could finish her sentence or lift her left foot, Draco pulled her out of the gates.

"Too late, _Granger_," he said. "Let's go."

Hermione let him pull her as they walked so she could look at him from behind.

That morning, when he woke her up and told her to get dressed, Hermione saw that he was wearing _Muggle_ clothing. No one would be able to recognize it as long as they don't read the labels, but she did. She had seen the long, black and white plaid Burberry coat hanging at the back of his wardrobe. He was wearing a white Ralph Lauren sweater and black Armani trousers underneath the coat. His shiny Head Boy badge was pinned on his left chest. Wrapped around his neck was a black Denny and George scarf. On his head was a black Herringbone newsboy cap. On his feet were Gucci high-cut, lace-up black leather shoes.

She was feeling extremely shabby in her perfectly clean dark gray coat, navy blue sweater, jeans, gray knitted scarf, gray knitted beanie, and combat boots. She had pinned her Head Girl badge on her coat but it failed to make her feel better.

"Hey, walk a little faster, will you?" Draco called. "I don't want to have to pull you all the way to Hogsmeade."

Hermione ran to catch up with Draco. "Walk a little slower, will you?" she said, panting. It was so hard running in the cold.

"Hermione!"

Draco and Hermione but turned around at the sound of Harry's voice.

Hermione cast a sideways glance at Draco. He had stiffened. She bit her lip.

After she told Draco about the incident in the broom shed, she made sure not to hang out with Harry in Draco's view. Now, as Harry walked towards them with Luna beside him, she wondered what would happen.

"Hi 'Mione," Harry said, smiling. Then he noticed Draco, who was frowning. "Malfoy," he said in acknowledgement.

"Potter," Draco muttered.

"Hi Harry," Hermione squeaked. "Hello Luna! It's so… nice… to see you!"

Luna was wearing a blinding neon yellow coat, her Spectrecpecs, and a black bonnet. She looked like a giant bumblebee.

"Hello, Hermione," Luna said in her dreamy voice. "And hello to you, Draco Malfoy."

Draco gave her a curt nod. He didn't trust himself to open his mouth; he didn't like the look of Hermione's heavy boots and what they might do to his leather shoes. He looked away.

A long, awkward silence followed. Harry looked at Draco. Draco looked at Harry. Hermione looked at Draco looking at Harry. Luna looked at the sky.

"Are you guys on a date?" she asked Draco and Hermione suddenly, breaking the silence. "I had the impression that you didn't like each other…"

Hermione blushed. "We're…"

"Head duties," Draco cut in.

"Um, yeah, that," Hermione stammered, blushing deeper. She felt a little sad that Draco didn't even tell Luna that they were going as friends.

"But we like each other," Draco told Luna. "Don't break any rules now. Bye."

He pulled Hermione away without another word.

Hermione felt like her legs had turned to jelly. Thousands of butterflies were flying on her stomach. Draco had _told people_ that he liked her!

* * *

Draco and Hermione walked on in awkward silence. Draco's hand was still on Hermione's arm. Hermione's cheeks were red while Draco's were pink.

After a while, they reached Hogsmeade. Students were walking around in groups and pairs, and the air was filled with excitement and buzzes of talk and laughter. The shops already had plenty of customers.

"Should we go to Honeydukes first?" Draco said, breaking the hush.

"Yeah, let's cash in," Hermione said, referring to the Honeydukes gift certificate that they won from the Halloween Ball.

They entered Honeydukes, which was already full of students.

"Hey, you," Draco said, grabbing a small, random third year boy. "I want lots of toffee, some coconut ice, a couple of bars of chocolate, and those Exploding Bonbons," Draco declared.

The boy looked up at him with wide eyes, looking scared.

"What are you waiting for?" Draco drawled. "Get them!"

The boy ran to the shelves.

"Draco!" Hermione hissed. "You're being cruel again." She walked to the shelves to look for the boy.

"Here they are," the boy squeaked, tipping Draco's sweets into Hermione's hands.

"Oh, you didn't have to," Hermione said. "I'm sorry. Here," she took the gift certificate from her pocket and gave it to the boy. "Buy yourself some treats with that. That's the Heads' apology to you, okay?"

The boy smiled at her. "Thanks," he said, taking the gift certificate. "Ten galleons? Sweet!"

"HEY!"

Hermione and the boy turned around to see Draco, fuming.

"Give that back!" Draco demanded. The boy yelped and ran away. Draco turned to chase him but Hermione stopped him.

"I gave it to him," she said.

"What???" Draco couldn't believe that she just threw ten galleons away.

"Let it go," Hermione hissed. "With the money you have, you can buy this whole shop anyway!"

Draco opened his mouth to retort. Then he closed it. "Oh yeah," he said. "You're right." He smiled.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

* * *

They came out of Honeydukes half an hour later, carrying a year's worth of toffee, coconut ice, chocolate bars, and Exploding Bonbons in a big golden bag that the owner had given Draco for his "wonderful patronage".

They walked along and saw the alley leading to Madam Puddifoot's.

Hermione paused to look at the tea shop.

"Oh no," Draco muttered. "Please don't tell me you want to go there…"

"Don't be silly," Hermione hissed. "Look!"

Draco followed Hermione's gaze.

Professor Heath came out of the tea house, looking like his gorgeous, jaded self, a trail of girls following behind him. He was wearing a green dragon hide jacket, leather pants, and a silk gray scarf. He was walking really fast, his purple hair flying behind him. The girls doubled their pace to catch up.

"Was he holding fan club meetings there?" Draco whispered. "Or was he on a date with some lucky first year?"

"I don't think so," Hermione said. "He looks like he's running away… Oh no, here he---"

She didn't get to finish; Professor Heath walked right up to them.

"Excuse me, Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy," he said briskly. "Do you know of any other bar in this place?" He looked at the trail of girls behind him, who had stopped ten meters away to gaze at him talking to the Heads. "I've tried The Three Broomsticks, and Madam Puddifoot's… it was full of couples… obviously the worst choice…" He looked at the girls behind him.

"There's always the Hog's Head, sir," Hermione piped up.

"Can you please take me there?" Professor Heath asked them. He looked at Hermione, then at Draco. "Unless, of course, I'm interrupting something…" He glanced at them, waiting for their reaction.

Hermione was ready to help, but Draco wasn't in the mood. Who was this stupid rock star git to ruin his date with Hermione? Of course, he was interrupting; was he too stupid to tell?

Apparently, Hermione thought otherwise. "Oh no, sir, you're not," she answered after a while. "Follow us."

She started to walk towards the Hog's Head. Draco, feeling very defeated, started to follow.

So did the trail of girls.

"Oh no," Professor Heath mumbled.

"Draco, make them go away," Hermione whispered.

"Excuse me?" Draco hissed. "Am I supposed to be his _bodyguard_?"

"I'm just trying to help," Hermione reasoned. "He's our _teacher_, you know!"

Draco glared at her. How dare her side with Barbary? And on their date, no less!

"Please?" Hermione said softly. She pouted at him.

Draco growled. "Fine, fine," he mumbled. He never could resist that look…

"Thanks," she said, beaming at him.

Draco walked over to the gaggle of girls a few meters behind them. He looked at them for a long time, thinking of something to make them go away.

"Um, Mister Head Boy, sir," a short third year girl with red pig-tails twittered. "Is Professor Heath having a date with Hermione Granger?"

"NO!" he said rapidly, almost yelling at her. The girl almost fell over.

"Hey Malfoy," Hannah Abbot called. "Are _you_ on a date with Granger?"

Draco stared at her. Well, he wanted to think that he was, but he wasn't sure what their Hogsmeade trip was really about. He settled for "none of your business!", and Hannah left him alone.

"Hey, where are those two?" Hannah said. "Professor Heath and Granger… they're gone!" They all looked around. Professor Heath and Hermione had disappeared.

"They must've Apparated!"

"Maybe they eloped! Maybe they're getting married!"

Draco took advantage of the chaos that ensued. He ran away from the crowd and ran towards the Hog's Head.

Hermione and Barbary couldn't have Apparated; no one heard a pop. They must've ran away, too. _Boy, those girls are really stupid_, Draco thought as the Hog's Head came into his view. He paused outside the grimy window to look inside.

Barbary and Hermione were sitting at the bar. They looked like they were laughing. The barman was placing two steaming mugs of butterbeer in front of them.

Draco growled. Were they laughing about him over their stupid butterbeers? Were they sniggering at the fact that he had to keep those stupid girls away while they had their drinks together? Was this why Hermione asked him to get rid of those bitches in the first place? He banged the door open and strode inside.

Hermione put her butterbeer down. "There you are! What took you so long?"

Draco stopped. She looked genuinely happy to see him. He looked at Professor Heath. He was sipping his butterbeer, looking at him.

"Come on, sit down," Hermione said, pulling him to the bar. "I ordered you a butterbeer already. Oh, and don't worry, I've conjured a cup for you; it's perfectly clean." She sat him down on the stool beside hers and gave him a butterbeer.

"Cheers," Professor Heath said in his husky rock star voice.

Draco sat there, blinking.

"I was just talking about Miss Granger here about Hogsmeade pubs," Professor Heath said after a big gulp of butterbeer. "In my day, Three Broomsticks was the most well-known. There was Madam Pudifoot's, too, but I never stepped inside it. There was also one called Old Man Flint's, but I see it's no longer open. I've never heard of the Hog's Head, though…" He looked around.

There was no one else in the pub except for the three of them.

Suddenly, the door opened. Blaise and Ginny walked in.

"Ginny!" Hermione squealed. She and Ginny hugged.

Blaise sat beside Draco. "How's it going, mate?"

Hermione and Ginny were having a hushed chat.

Professor Heath looked at Draco and Blaise. "Girls will be girls, eh?"

Draco ignored him. Blaise shrugged.

Professor Heath finished his butterbeer. He called the barman. "A bottle of firewhiskey, please?"

The barman looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Are they all of age?" His looked at Ginny. Ginny looked back at him.

"Doesn't matter if you tell no one," Professor Heath said coolly. The barman grumbled and disappeared below the counter.

"Wicked!" Blaise and Ginny exclaimed, giving each other high-fives. Draco maintained his bored profile. Hermione looked apprehensive.

"What's the matter with you?" Ginny asked her. "You're _more than_ seventeen."

"Oh, really?" Professor Heath asked them suddenly. "You're eighteen, Miss Granger?"

"Yes, sir, I celebrated my birthday last September," Hermione said. "But… I don't drink…"

Ginny snorted. Blaise looked inquisitively at Ginny. Draco glared at Professor Heath. Why'd he want to know?

The barman reappeared, clutching a tall, dusty bottle. "Here," he muttered. "That's twelve galleons."

Hermione rummaged around for her money bag. Professor Heath stopped her. "I got it, I got it. A treat for four of my best students," he said. "Pity, Mr. Potter's not here…" He conjured five glasses and poured firewhiskey on each one. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" said Ginny and Blaise.

Hermione looked at her glass. _The last time I drank some of this stuff_, she thought, _I ended up shagging my best friend in a broom shed_…

"Yeah, don't drink that," Draco said, as if reading her mind.

Hermione looked at him.

"It's from Barbary," he said in a low voice, so that Professor Heath wouldn't hear.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Miss Granger, why aren't you drinking?" Professor Heath asked her. "What a shame… After all, you're a Gryffindor..."

"Drink, drink, drink," Ginny chanted. "Drink, drink, drink, drink, drink!"

Draco glared at her.

Professor Heath joined in on the chanting. "Drink, drink, drink…" His voice was sexy even as it chanted.

Hermione pouted at them. "Oh, but I don't want to seem like a bad example…"

"Drink, drink, drink!" Ginny and Professor Heath chanted, disregarding what she said.

Hermione looked at her drink. It was just a glass. What harm could it cause?

"Drink, drink, drink…"

She looked at Draco. He was gazing at her intently. She felt her legs turning into jelly again.

"Drink, drink, drink…"

Hermione took her glass and swigged her drink down.

Ginny and Professor Heath cheered.

"I never thought Prissy Knickers would do it," Blaise told Draco. He gave Ginny a galleon.

"Serves you right for underestimating 'Mione," Ginny said, pocketing the money.

Hermione grinned sheepishly at them.

* * *

Two hours and two bottles later, Professor Heath decided that it was time for the five of them to have some lunch.

"Do you serve food?" Professor Heath asked the barman.

"No," he grumbled.

"Would you guys like to go away for lunch?" Professor Heath asked Hermione, Draco, Ginny and Blaise.

"Yeah, sure!" Ginny said, playing with her glass.

Blaise shrugged.

Draco ignored him.

Hermione looked confused. "But where, sir?" she asked. "As you said, The Three Broomsticks is full…"

Professor Heath laughed. "I meant, maybe we could go someplace else? I know this fantastic place where they serve exquisite seafood…"

"Cool, let's go!" Ginny said.

"Yeah," Blaise agreed. "I'm getting hungry."

Hermione looked apprehensive. The firewhiskey failed to cloud her knowledge of school rules. "Aren't we forbidden…?"

Blaise sniggered at her and she stopped. She took a deep breath, allowing the firewhiskey to get to her bloodstream.

"Okay, let's go," Hermione said. Professor Heath grinned at her.

They all scrambled out of the pub. Professor Heath was about to say something when a dreamy voice spoke up.

"Hello guys," said Luna Lovegood. She was standing behind them with Harry in tow. "Where are you going?"

* * *

Half an hour later, they were all seated at a big round table in a balcony with an excellent view of the sea. Waiters were bringing in platters of orange rice with giant mussels in them.

"I can't believe we're in Barcelona," Hermione said, her head in her hands. They've broken about fifty school rules already.

When they had bumped into Harry and Luna, Professor Heath insisted that they tag along for the trip. They agreed (Luna breathed out a yes and Harry shrugged). That's when Professor Heath announced that they would be going to a Spanish restaurant called Humberto's, one of his favorites.

They were beyond shocked when they found out that the Spanish restaurant was actually _in_ Spain.

"I've been in this city," Blaise whispered to Draco. "My mom's fifth husband was part Spanish, and they dragged me here one summer. Thank goodness, there were plenty of girls to keep me entertained…"

Just then, a curvy blonde waitress in her early twenties appeared with their fried squid. She winked at Blaise.

Blaise grinned at her then turned to Draco. "See what I---" he stopped when he saw the look on Ginny's face.

"OUCH!" The blonde waitress suddenly tripped as she walked away from their table. All eyes turned to Ginny. She raised an eyebrow at all of them.

"Señor Heath!"

A short, stocky man with thick black hair, matching eyebrows and a matching mustache trotted over to them. He was wearing a chef's uniform. "Señor Heath! Where are your amigos, eh? Señor Wagtail and the others, they are not with you?" He spoke in a thick Spanish accent.

"No, it's just me this time, Humberto," Professor Heath said with a smile. "These are my students: Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, Mister Zabini, Miss Weasley, Miss Lovegood, and Mister Potter."

"Students?" Humberto exclaimed. "Ah, Señor Heath, you teach? Amazing, simply amazing…" His gaze fell upon Harry. "Señor, you are Harry Potter, are you not?"

Harry blinked. "Um…"

"You are famous all over the world, Señor!"

"Oh…really?" Harry mumbled, looking at his plate. Blaise and Draco exchanged smirks. Hermione and Ginny frowned at them.

"Yes, yes," Humberto said. "Well, I must go, I must go, enjoy the food!" He trotted off.

"I admire your humility, Harry," Professor Heath said, sipping some wine. "I know a lot of people who need to eat some humble pie. Then again, I live with rock stars..."

Draco and Blaise rolled their eyes.

"Professor, did you know that Spanish waters are heavily infested with Gulping Plimpies?" Luna said suddenly. "They might be in your food." She prodded her fish. Draco and Blaise snorted; Hermione and Ginny glared at them.

"Your _pescado frito_ is perfectly alright, Luna," Professor Heath said patiently. "I trust Humberto. I think he cleans these things before he cooks."

Luna gave up and took a bite. "It's good," she said, smiling at Professor Heath. "I can definitely taste the Plimpies, though."

Draco and Blaise dropped their forks so they could snort under the table.

* * *

After finishing their dessert (some wonderful nougat called _Turrón_), the group agreed that it was time to go. It was mid-afternoon already, and if they didn't get back, they would be caught.

Humberto gave them some Spanish sweets to take home. He waved at them along with Petra, the curvy blonde waitress, before they Disapparated.

They Aparrated back to Hogsmeade, behind the Hog's Head. They walked on, blending in with the crowd. Ginny and Blaise walked with their arms wrapped around each other. Harry walked beside Luna. Hermione walked beside Professor Heath. Draco walked behind them, fuming.

He heard Hermione and Professor Heath talking about cities which Hermione had visited. By the time they started talking about Italy, they had reached Hogwarts.

Ginny and Blaise muttered something about Quidditch, thanked Professor Heath, and dashed off. Harry mumbled about taking Luna back to Ravenclaw Tower; they, too, thanked Professor Heath and said goodbye.

"Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, aren't you two going anywhere?" Professor Heath asked them. "Why don't you two go outside? The sun's just setting."

"We'll do just that," Draco snapped. He pulled Hermione towards the grounds.

"Thank you so much, Professor!" Hermione called as Draco pulled her along. "We had such a great time!" She waved until Draco pulled her outside and Professor Heath disappeared from her view.

"_We had such a great time_," Draco said, mimicking her voice. "Count me out. I didn't."

"Why not?" Hermione asked him. "He gave us free drinks, he treated us out to lunch; in another country, might I add."

"So?" Draco asked. "You think I don't do those things? You heard Blaise. We do those sort of little things all the time."

"Well, I don't!" Hermione said huffily. She sat on the grass, looking up at the pink sky. The sun was setting. "I appreciate those _little_ things in life..."

Draco looked at her. The sun cast a light on her face, making her look really beautiful. He sat down beside her. How could he tell her that he was just jealous? He shrugged the thought off. "Don't worry," he said instead. "I'll take you out to Greece some time."

Hermione laughed. Draco didn't see what was funny with going to Greece, but he laughed as well. Finally, they stopped and looked at each other.

Draco leaned in and kissed Hermione on the lips. The kiss was long, innocent, and sweet. Hermione pulled back, smiling.

"I've always wanted to do that," she said. "Kissing while the sun sets..."

Draco searched for her hand and took it. Hermione put her head on Draco's shoulder.

They sat there until the stars appeared on the sky.

* * *

I liked picturing that last scene on my head. :)

Review! Ask the questions you want to ask. Go on! :D lol

By the way, I chose Spanish cuisine because it's closest to Filipino cuisine (this makes it easier for me to write, see?) If I got anything wrong, I'm really sorry. :( Do tell me. :) In your review. :D LOL


	11. Expect the Unexpected

HERE, I stayed up all night to update as quick as I can.

YOU GUYS! It's 2:55 am and I only have THREE THINGS to say to everyone who reviewed (TheDarkLordsQueen, Mari, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, MischiefManaged16, MrsEdwardCullen13, Courvoisier, pink-strawberries, blueskyshymoon08, TheBigBadWriter, aviddaydreamer, and jessluvsfang)

1) I can't stop saying this, THANK YOU SO MUCH from the bottom of my heart. I run on your reviews. Seriously. :)

2) Yes, I live in the Philippines :) It's warm here, but today it's extremely rainy. It's raining as I type this. There's a storm :)

3) Again... things aren't what they seem at first. ;)

A big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Story Alert lists: Tru-Pinai 4-eva, kiwiskigirl, and Nolita Faerietale

Disclaimer: I am not Harry Potter. I do not own JK Rowling. OOPS, that's wrong, wait. I do not own HARRY POTTER. I am NOT JK Rowling. THERE. lol

* * *

For the next week, the only thing that everyone could talk about was Quidditch.

Even Hermione was paying attention to the sport. For the first time, she actually, genuinely _cared_ about what was going to happen. Her crush captained the Slytherin Quidditch Team, while her best friend headed the Gryffindor Quidditch team (which, incidentally, was her house's team). Of course, her loyalty lay on Gryffindor.

Gryffindor had Harry as Seeker, Ginny, Dean Thomas, and Demelza Robins as Chasers, Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote as Beaters, and Ron as Keeper. Hermione didn't know how practice with Ron was going, but she heard from Ginny that Ron and Harry were now talking, but that Ron was again being an insecure player. She crossed her fingers that no further fights between Ron and the other members, especially Harry and Ginny, would ensue.

Slytherin, meanwhile, had Draco as Seeker, Blaise (Draco had forced him to join), Vaisey, and Tracey Davis as Chasers, Bulstrode and Goyle (who was a bit smarter than Crabbe) as Beaters, and Harper as Keeper. Hermione wondered how Ginny and Blaise would be as opponents.

Hermione had to patrol alone since Draco was practicing every single night. By Friday, she realized that they hadn't spoken for four days (he last spoke to her at Potions). Even Harry and Ginny had no time to hang out with her. She decided to spend her free time at the library.

Saturday morning dawned to be bright, but extremely cold. There were a few clouds on the sky, but otherwise, the day was clear.

Hermione went down to the Great Hall earlier than usual. She found the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team already seated at the end of the table. She sat beside Ginny, who was munching on some toast.

"Why isn't Harry eating?" she whispered to Ginny. Harry's plate was empty.

"Must be nervous," Ginny said. "He's been quiet for the last couple of days. Pretty obsessed, if you ask me." She grabbed some more toast. Hermione moved to sit beside Harry.

"Hey," she said softly. Harry looked up. "Eat something." She grabbed a basket of English muffins and set it in front of him.

Harry looked at her. He didn't look obsessed. He looked… _sad_.

Hermione looked back at him, confused. "Is something bothering you?"

Harry looked at his plate. "No," he said after about a minute. He grabbed a muffin and played with it. "It's nothing."

Hermione was about to press the matter when she saw Draco coming over to the Gryffindor table. She stood up immediately.

"You're on _their_ side, huh?" Draco muttered, looking at her red sweater.

"What do you expect?" Hermione said. "I'm a Gryffindor."

"Yeah, yeah," Draco mumbled. "But you're not even going to wish your good friend Draco good luck?"

She laughed. "Good luck, Draco." She patted him on the back. "Now go eat your breakfast."

"Yes, madam," Draco said, sauntering away.

* * *

"Alright, you lot," Draco said, drawing the curtain of the Slytherin changing rooms for his team to be able to see outside. "See those people out there?" He motioned to the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs all wearing scarlet and gold. "Don't mind them. They're just a bunch of ninnies."

"Yeah, even Granger?" Blaise asked him when no one else was listening.

Draco scowled at him. "Oh please. What about Weaselette?" he drawled. "You're enemies today."

Blaise shrugged. "I let her down gently, 'course," Blaise murmured, twirling his brand new Nimbus 2002. "I told her we'd win. I bet my broom on it, so we better."

* * *

Hermione pressed her palms down on her lap and shook her head roughly to ease her nerves. She looked like a complete prat, but it didn't matter; no one could see her. She was sitting alone in the topmost stands, while everyone was facing the Quidditch pitch.

The crowd roared and Hermione jumped. She glanced down and saw that the Gryffindor team had made their way out of the changing rooms and into the Quidditch pitch. She bit her lip. Ron, as usual, looked scared and nervous. But what scared her most was that Harry looked even worse.

Her eyes strayed away from Harry once the Slytherin team entered the Quidditch pitch. Draco walked in, his cheeks pink from the cold, his hair matted and tousled from having gotten out of bed and not having taken a shower, and his emerald green Quidditch robes silky and flying behind him. He was clutching his Nimbus 2002 in his right hand. He looked around the stands, and Hermione wondered if he was looking for her. The thought made her smile.

"Captains, shake hands," Madam Hooch yelled over the noise.

Harry and Draco stepped forward and stood looking at each other. The crowd instantly fell silent. Hermione was at the edge of her seat. Would they shake? Who would offer his hand first?

All of a sudden, Harry's hand drooped forward. His face was straight, and it showed no sign of emotion. Draco raised an eyebrow but shook Harry's hand. The crowd was still silent.

"Mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch said (she didn't have to shout this time). A few moments later, she blew her whistle and fourteen people took off. The crowd finally roared.

* * *

Draco gritted his teeth in frustration. Why did Weaselette have to be so bloody good? She scored _fifteen_ goals for Gryffindor already; she might as well have been their seeker. But more than that, she managed to distract Blaise every single time she tried. Blaise was by far the best Chaser on his team, but he was being useless; he had eyes for the redhead minx, not for the red Quaffle. Gryffindor was leading with _two hundred_ points; Slytherin had forty. Draco had never felt so mad at Blaise in his life.

Just then, Blaise took hold of the Quaffle.

"Blaise Zabini in possession," came Luna Lovegood's dreamy voice from the podium. "I wonder if he can score again this time… He's lost a hundred points to Ginny; I wonder how his teammates feel about that…"

Draco gritted his teeth. Another thing he hated about the match was Loony Lovegood's madcap commentating. She was making them look worse.

"Ooh! Look there she goes again!" Luna exclaimed. Sure enough, Ginny had taken the Quaffle from Blaise with just a flick of her hair on his face. Draco growled.

"Zabini!" he yelled. "Do you want to lose your broom?"

Blaise shrugged. "Her hair blinded me! All I could see was red---"

"If you keep that up, I swear, _I'll_ make you see red!" Draco roared.

Blaise flew to chase Ginny. He cut in front of her sharply, startling her. She dropped the Quaffle and he caught it. "Nice try, love!" he called to her as he flew to the goalposts to score.

"Ooh, that was a good recovery by Blaise Zabini!" Luna commented. "Slytherin's only up by ten points though. They'll need a miracle to win…"

Draco looked at the podium. He was starting to hate Loony's guts.

"Goodness!" Luna exclaimed. "Is that the snitch behind Harry?"

Draco's eyes darted to Harry, who was way above him. The Golden Snitch was flickering a few meters behind him. He flew towards Harry immediately. He panicked. Harry had spotted the Snitch, too. He was starting to fly towards it.

He reached Harry in the nick of time. Harry was just stretching his hand towards the little ball.

Draco flew upwards. He was about to elbow Harry out of the way when he saw that Harry's hand had inched backwards a little bit.

"Take it," he heard Harry whisper.

"What?" Draco hissed. Was Potter telling him to _steal_ the Snitch and win? "Is this a trick?"

"No," Harry whispered. "Take it. I'm tired. Go on."

"But your team---"

"You haven't been listening to the commentator," Harry said dryly. "We would be even."

He was right. Slytherin had fifty points and Gryffindor had two-hundred. If Draco caught the Snitch, it would be a draw.

"Ooh, it looks like the Seekers are both struggling to get the Snitch!" Luna's voice said, overpowering the excited yells of the crowd. "Who will get it first?"

Harry sighed. "Just don't tell anyone," he mumbled.

"Thank you, Potter," Draco said, looking at Harry and giving him a rare smile. He reached for the Snitch, which had inched away while they were having their whispered conversation. Harry flew towards it, too.

"BLIBBERING HUMDINGERS!" Luna cried. "Draco Malfoy caught the snitch! It's a draw!"

The crowd fell silent again.

* * *

Hermione fell off her seat. It was _so close_…

The crowd started to clap after what seemed about a whole minute. No one could believe Draco had beaten Harry.

Hermione saw Blaise and Ginny fly towards each other and snog in mid-air.

"Ooh! Slytherin and Gryffindor are having a bit of a celebration, look!" Luna said.

Hermione looked far above Blaise and Ginny's heads and saw Draco and Harry looking at each other. Something was fishy…

A moment later, she saw them both flying towards her. Rather, Draco was flying towards her; Harry was flying towards her direction, but he wasn't looking at her. Draco landed in front of her while Harry flew on towards an empty spot near the Ravenclaw stands.

"There you are," Draco said. "I've been looking all over for you."

He saw that she was looking at Harry.

"Go on," he said. Hermione turned to look at him. "Talk to him. Ask him."

"Thanks," Hermione mumbled. She walked towards Harry.

Harry was sitting with his head in on his knees. His Firebolt was lying in front of his feet.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, sitting beside him. "What happened back there?"

"I gave the Snitch to him," he muttered.

"You _what_?" Hermione sputtered.

"I gave the Snitch to Malfoy," Harry said, a little bit loudly this time (but not loud enough for the dispersing crowd to hear).

"But _why_?" Hermione cried. "Don't you want to win?"

"No one would win anyway," he mumbled. "Besides, my mind's a bit full at the moment."

Hermione couldn't believe it. Harry's mind was actually full of something _besides_ Quidditch? She stared at Harry. He was looking at the commentator's stand. Luna was in there, talking to Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams, Professors McGonagall and Snape, and Madam Hooch.

"Oh my goodness," she breathed out. "I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Did you and Luna… break up?"

Harry looked at her. "We were never together."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed. "But the dates… and…"

Harry sighed. "I thought so, too, Hermione" he said. "But it's all friendship, reading the Quibbler, and talking about Snorcacks with her… When we go on dates she thinks it's a _just-friends_ thing. I started to notice during the Hogsmeade trip. She has no ability to like people that way."

"Really?"

"I dunno," Harry muttered, "But she definitely has no ability to like _me_. And I don't care anymore, anyway." He got up. "I'm going to the changing rooms." He walked away.

"You don't care…?" Hermione asked, but he was already too far away.

* * *

Draco caught sight of Harry flying back to the Gryffindor locker room. He started to walk towards Hermione but Ginny and Blaise stopped him in his tracks.

"It's official," Blaise said. "It was a draw. Slytherin and Gryffindor party in the Room of Requirement tonight!"

Ginny whooped and they both flew away.

Draco was very taken aback. Did they just tell him that there would be a _Slytherin and Gryffindor party_?

"Hey," Hermione said. She had walked towards him. "Did I just hear…?"

"Yeah," Draco said. "I can't believe it either."

Hermione laughed. "I bet those two initiated it. There would be no such thing otherwise."

Draco nodded. "I guess…" He looked at Hermione. He had missed her. He realized they hadn't snogged in a week. He looked at the emptying Quidditch pitch, then back at Hermione. "Hey, do you want to fly---"

"NO."

Draco flinched. Did Hermione just reject him?

"I'm afraid of flying," Hermione murmured.

He relaxed. "Oh," he said. "Alright then, we won't fly. We'll work on it some other time." She smiled and he smiled back. "But do go with me to that wacky party, will you?"

Hermione looked at him. "As friends?" she mumbled. "Or are we supposed to check if anyone breaks any school rules?"

Draco laughed. Then he cleared his throat. "No," he said. "Um… I meant… Can we go… together…? Like, _together_?" He groaned. Why was he stammering? He never stammered! Then again, he never had to ask anyone out, either. _They_ asked him.

"It's a date," Hermione said joyfully, slipping her fingers through his.

* * *

Hermione felt giddy as she brushed her hair; she could barely do straight brush strokes.

She finally, finally had an official date with Draco. She bit her lip in excitement. It must've been the tenth time she bit her lips today; her lips seemed a bit bruised.

Her hair, instead of becoming straight, turned a bit shaggy and wavy because of her brushing. She decided to leave it alone. Earlier, she had changed into a snug purple sweater and gray tights. It was so cold that she decided to bring a jacket along.

She stepped out of her room and found that Draco was still in the bathroom. She rolled her eyes. How could it take her ten minutes to get ready and him, an hour? She tutted and sat down on one of the armchairs.

A moment later, Draco stepped out of the bathroom. He was wearing all black; black sweater, black jeans, black canvas slippers. She had a feeling the clothes were all from Armani or somewhere equally expensive. She started to feel shabby again.

Draco seemed to think otherwise. "Looking great, Granger," he said. "Let's go."

* * *

Draco looked at Hermione from the corner of his eye. She looked sexy with her messy hair, bruised lips, pink cheeks, and tight clothes. As they walked together, she looked like she's just been snogged by him.

_Good_, he thought. _That'd keep the blokes away from her_.

They walked into the Room of Requirement. Music was playing, Slytherins and Gryffindors were _mingling _(he really, really couldn't get over it), and some people were hanging by the snack tables. Draco looked around and the first thing he saw was Barbary, surrounded by Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, Parvati Patil, and Lavender Brown. He was wearing a hairy black Weird Sisters sweater that the girls were fawning over. _What's he doing here? He's a teacher_!

"I think Ginny and Blaise invited him," Hermione whispered, looking at Professor Heath's direction.

"Speak of the devils," Draco muttered. Ginny and Blaise walked over to them. Ginny was wearing a baggy green shirt and Blaise was wearing a big red sweater. They looked like they had swapped clothes.

"Having fun?" Ginny asked them.

"We just got here," Hermione said, laughing.

"We're having a drinking game soon," Blaise said. "We're just waiting for the firewhiskey to come; Theo's bringing it." He waited for Hermione's reaction.

"Excellent," Hermione breathed out. "Call us when it's here."

Blaise looked mildly taken aback.

* * *

Hermione excused herself while Draco talked about Quidditch with Ginny and Blaise. She had spotted Harry and Ron. They were both sitting in a corner, looking glum. Hermione took a deep breath and walked towards them.

"Hey," she said.

Ron's ears turned pink. Harry looked at her then looked at Ron. "Right, I'll go get myself some gillywater, so you later." He stalked off.

Hermione nervously sat beside Ron. Thankfully, he didn't budge. "How've you been?" she said.

"Oh 'Mione!" Ron cried. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I want to be friends again, _please_ forgive me!"

Hermione blinked, looking at him. She didn't expect him to apologize so quickly.

"Ron, I---"

"I understand now," Ron continued. "You want to be with Malfoy, and I should accept that…"

"Yes, Ron, but---"

"I've accepted that," he went on, "I've learned I shouldn't let my feelings get in the way of our friendship…"

"Oh, alright, Ron, you---"

"You can go on and see him if you like, I won't get in the way," Ron rambled, "I support you a hundred percent, okay, maybe fifty, he _is_ Malfoy…"

"Really, well---"

"So, what do you say?" Ron finished. "Friends?"

Hermione looked at Ron. Again, she could do nothing but blink. She opened her mouth and closed it. "Okay," she said, laughing. "Okay, okay, _okay_! That's what I've been trying to say. OKAY."

"Gee, 'Mione, I get it, you don't have to be so pushy."

* * *

"Everyone, please gather round. The drinking game is about to begin!"

People flocked around Blaise and Ginny.

"We have here three glasses," Blaise continued. He motioned to three extremely tall glasses in front of him. "Three people at a time will drink. The first one to finish can…"

"…snog anyone in the room that he or she would like to snog," Ginny finished. "Disregard the relationships, boys and girls! Oh… but I'm not kissing Ron, that's gross."

"Right back at you," Ron said to general amusement and laughter.

"Okay, who wants to start?" Blaise asked.

Draco glanced around, too. He definitely didn't want to go first. Watching the game would be more amusing.

"I will!" Ron said loudly. He walked over to Blaise and Ginny.

"Hey, me too," Dean Thomas said, stepping forward.

"Count me in," Seamus Finnigan mumbled.

_Reckless Gryffindors_, Draco thought.

Ron, Dean and Seamus took their places in front of the glasses.

Ginny stepped forward. "Three, two, one, go!"

The three boys raised their drinks and started chugging them down.

Ron finished first. Everyone cheered and waited for him to kiss somebody. Most eyes darted to Hermione.

Draco frowned and quickly stood beside her.

Ron, however, was not aiming for Hermione.

He walked to the other side of the room and seized Pansy Parkinson.

* * *

"I can't believe that just happened," Harry muttered.

"Ditto," Hermione murmured, rubbing the back of her neck.

Ron and Pansy had snogged each other like there was no tomorrow. They had to be pulled apart by magic. They decided to get out of the room to continue their business.

"Next!" Blaise yelled.

Lavender and Parvati giggled, stepping forward. Professor Heath looked a bit alarmed. Hermione whispered this to Harry and Draco. They both laughed.

Millicent Bulstrode stepped forward. Blaise took a step back.

"Wow, Ginny, it's cold, isn't it?" they heard him say. "I think I'll go to the bathroom and have a quick leak…" He disappeared.

Nevertheless, Millicent competed against Parvati and Lavender. She won. Apparently, in her book, the next best thing to Blaise was Vincent Crabbe.

The crowd was treated with a spectacular view comprising Bulstrode, Crabbe, and tongues.

"NEXT!" Ginny screamed, a little too quickly. Thankfully, Millicent took this as a cue to pull away.

Tracey and Daphne stepped forward, giggling and staring at Professor Heath. "I think I'll join Blaise in the loos," Hermione heard him say to Ginny.

Theo joined in. Of course, he beat Daphne and Tracey.

He walked over to Parvati and kissed her.

Parvati pulled away. "Hey, I thought you were going out with Padma!"

Theo looked surprised. "Oh, are you Parvati? My mistake."

Everyone laughed.

"Next," called Blaise, who had come back from the bathroom.

"I'm joining!" Ginny said.

"_What_?" Blaise exclaimed. "But you can always kiss me!"

Ginny rolled her eyes.

Gregory Goyle stepped forward. He looked around the room, looking for possible girls to snog. Parvati, Lavender, Tracey and Daphne mentioned something about fixing their hair. They all disappeared.

Harry shrugged, stepping forward.

"Alright," Ginny said. "Three, two, one!"

She, Harry and, Goyle downed their drinks.

Harry finished first. He looked around the room. The girls had come back. Parvati flicked her hair at him. Tracey and Daphne whispered something to each other, giggling. Eve Lavender winked at him.

Slowly, Harry turned around. He grabbed Ginny and kissed her on the lips.

The whole room gasped; Blaise's was the loudest. Harry and Ginny didn't seem to hear; they continued to kiss. After ten more seconds, they pulled apart, looking at each other.

Suddenly, Hermione understood why Harry was acting so weird.

A loud slam broke her thoughts. Blaise had marched out of the room. Professor Heath came back in. "I just saw Blaise leave, he looked pretty angry…"

No one said a word. Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. She ran from the room. Harry followed her.

"Right, let's continue, shall we?" Professor Heath said. He stepped forward. "I'm going to try my luck."

All the girls squealed. Professor Heath turned to Hermione, the only female who hadn't squealed. He winked at her.

Draco growled. "I'm joining!"

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Heath said. "I guess it's just the two of us?"

No one moved to join them. "Let's get this over with," Draco muttered.

"Three, two one, go!" the girls cried.

Hermione held her breath. She didn't know what would happen next. But if there was something she had learned from the day, it was to expect the unexpected. She did just that.

Professor Heath finished first. He dropped his bottle to the floor. Draco finished two seconds later, fuming.

He looked at Professor Heath, and then he looked at Hermione. _Calm down_, he told himself. _It's just a game_.

Hermione stood still. She couldn't breathe. She looked at Professor Heath. Professor Heath looked back at her.

She closed her eyes, waiting. But then, she got nervous, so she opened them again.

Draco felt his hands curl up into fists. Why couldn't Barbary just get it over with already? Everyone knew he wanted to kiss Hermione. _Come on Barbary, just get it over---_

All thoughts flew from his mind as Professor Heath grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him on the lips.

* * *

Hey, remember what I said in the beginning??? AND the chapter title...

Go on, ask the questions you want to ask!!! I'll ask them for you.

Is it the end for Blaise and Ginny?

Is Professor Heath... _GASP!_ GAY?

Draco has finally grown a pair... but what will happen next?

Oh... and please don't tell me you expected _THAT _bit at the end. I went through great lengths to keep that a secret. LOL


	12. Tis the Season to be Jolly

YESSSSSSS!!! 111 REVIEWS!!! Thank you so much!!! And no one expected _it_! YAY!!!

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gigi: OHMYGOD... I unknowingly named a minor character after you. I hope you don't mind. :D I'm glad you love the story. Just so you know, I see Gigi as a pretty character. :) Sort of like a more sane, brunette Luna. LOL Thanks for the review!

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Here's a big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Favorites and Story Alert lists: sherriithewriter, Sisterhood, and muriel1978

Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I do not own Harry Potter. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. And so does Draco Malfoy. Ms. Rowling, if you get tired of Draco, can I please have him? :D LOL

* * *

Draco pulled back, coughing. Barbary had used _tongues_ on him! "What the fuck was that?" he croaked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Professor Heath shrugged. He looked around the room. Then he burst into laughter, clutching his sides.

Everybody had their mouths open. Hermione, whose mouth was open the widest, was blushing from head to toe.

"The… looks… on your faces," Professor Heath said in between breaths.

Everyone just stood there, blinking.

"What the hell was that for?" Draco growled. He needed to brush his teeth. Then he needed to brush them again and again and again and again…

"I wanted to see how you guys would react," Professor Heath said after catching up with his breath.

"But why the fuck does it have to be me?" Draco said, wiping his mouth with his sweater now. _Why couldn't you have snogged Goyle, you git?_ he thought grudgingly.

Professor Heath shrugged. "I have a thing for blondes."

Lavender and Daphne piped up "I'm blonde" at the same time. Professor Heath laughed.

"Ladies, ladies," he drawled, leaning back on the wall. He ran his fingers through his hair, as if thinking hard. Lavender and Daphne squealed to themselves. "It wouldn't be that shocking, then, would it? You girls aren't in trousers, are you?" He laughed again.

This time, the girls laughed along. Goyle, who was too stupid to get anything, looked around before laughing along. Hermione had, at least, managed to close her mouth. She still stood there silently, however.

Draco walked over to her. "Let's get out of here," he muttered.

"Yeah, everyone, we should all call it a night," Professor Heath said. "I'm still a teacher, you know." He laughed again.

When he laughed, his eyes twinkled and dimples appeared on his cheeks. The girls swooned (except Hermione, of course). He made the girls go one by one, and then he led Goyle to the door (he was too drunk and stupid to find it). He looked at Draco and Hermione. "You two can get to the Heads' Quarters by yourselves, can't you? I'll leave you to yourselves." Then he winked at Draco.

Draco leaped back. "Did you see that, did you see that?" he asked Hermione, clutching his chest.

"Yes," Hermione said feebly. It was the first word she had uttered in five whole minutes.

* * *

For the next few weeks, Draco never failed to sit next to Hermione in all their DADA classes. He never recited in class, and he never volunteered to demonstrate spells and techniques (not that he did those often before). He also always got out of the room the second the class ended, pulling Hermione with him.

Hermione, who had recovered after the Slytherin-Gryffindor victory party, thought Draco was being ridiculous. She had convinced herself that Professor Heath was just being his crazy rock-star self. She tried to convince Draco, too, but Draco wouldn't hear of it. He was convinced that "Barbary was after his ass".

"Maybe you're just jealous, because he snogged me instead of you," Draco had said.

Hermione didn't talk to him for two days and he had to beg for forgiveness because she wouldn't sit with him in DADA.

But Draco's paranoia was the least of Hermione's worries. There was the Harry-Ginny-Blaise problem.

After the party, Blaise stopped talking to Ginny. Ginny stopped talking to Harry, and Harry became a poor, depressed thing.

Ginny cried to Hermione about it the day after the party. She said that in the beginning, she and Blaise had an agreement that she was to get over her feelings for Harry. When Harry had kissed her at the party, she had felt really confused, and Blaise had felt really betrayed. Ginny said that it was unfair of Harry to "throw her away one month and hanker after the next". This was why she ignored Harry. She was confused, torn, and angry.

Hermione didn't know what to tell her. She thought it really was unfair of Harry, but she couldn't help sympathize with Harry either. What Ginny didn't know was that Harry had come crying to Hermione, too. He said he realized that pursuing Luna was a mistake. He missed Ginny, and he wanted to have her back. He was so tired of going to Quidditch practice and seeing Ginny snog Blaise in the stands during breaks, and he didn't like it when they had their mid-air victory snog after the game either.

Hermione felt like imploding any day now. On top of Head duties, non-verbal dueling, non-verbal conjuring, advanced Potion-making, advanced Charm work, breeding dangerous plants, translating Rune books, and studying complex numbers, she had to protect Draco from Bad-ass Barbary and play Agony Aunt to Ginny and Harry.

* * *

December finally came. A blanket of snow covered the grounds, and the spirit of the Holidays filled the cold air. The Great hall was decorated with the giant Christmas trees again. Mistletoe bloomed in unexpected corners, and students had to be careful not to walk anywhere near Filch, Millicent Bulstrode, Crabbe, Goyle, or Eloise Midgen to avoid awkward situations.

Draco was horrified to find himself under the Mistletoe with Professor Heath one afternoon. He had gone for an innocent bathroom trip in the middle of Charms. When he came out of the bathroom, he bumped into Professor Heath, who was "on his way to grab some tea and cookies from the kitchen". He smirked and pointed at the ceiling. Draco was aghast to see mistletoe above their heads. "Tis the season to be jolly," Professor Heath said, then laughed. Draco yelled and ran off, Professor Heath's laughter still ringing in his ears.

Once news came out that Professor Heath would be spending Christmas at Hogwarts, the rate of people signing up to remain in the castle for break doubled (half the female population refused to go home). Draco told Hermione that he'd definitely be going home. However, due to the great number of students who would remain at Hogwarts, Dumbledore asked the Heads and some of the Prefects to stay in the castle, too.

Draco was livid. He strode to Dumbledore's office to complain.

"What is the problem, Mister Malfoy?" Professor Dumbledore said calmly as Draco marched into his office and slammed his butt onto the chair opposite his desk.

"I want to go home for Christmas," Draco said.

"I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment," Dumbledore said in a gentle tone. "You are greatly needed here at school. But arrangements have been made; your worries have been taken care of." Then Dumbledore dismissed him.

Draco wondered how on earth Dumbledore was going to "take care" of his greatest worry. Would he be locking Barbary in the staff room?

* * *

The last weekend of term was a Hogsmeade one. Hermione wondered if Draco would let her off bodyguard duty to go Christmas shopping with Ginny. She approached him at the bathroom on Friday night. He was sitting on the empty tub with his boxers on, reading his Arithmancy book. A towel was wrapped around his head, and it was smudged with sticky green pus. Hermione saw an empty bottle of _Veela Solutions for Platinum Blonde Hair_ (for extreme shine and softness). She bit back a laugh.

"Draco?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he said, not looking up from his Arithmancy book.

"Will you require bodyguard duty in Hogsmeade?" she continued.

Draco finally looked up from his book. "Well, yes? When did I ever stop requiring bodyguard duty?" He smirked. "And when did you?"

Bodyguard duty was their term for snogging and fooling around… and protecting Draco from Professor Heath, of course.

"Alright, maybe we can do it in the afternoon," she said. She really wanted to go shopping with Ginny; she needed to buy gifts for everyone. "I wanted to go Christmas shopping with Ginny. Can we meet at the Hog's Head at lunch? Would that be okay?"

Draco was silent for a minute. He put down his book and stared at the empty bottle of hair conditioner in front of him. "Okay."

"Sweet," Hermione said, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

Draco turned his head and they ended up making out instead.

* * *

"Hermione, we're going Christmas shopping," Ginny said. "I don't remember asking you out on a date."

Hermione blushed. She was wearing a pale pink button-up coat, a woolen yellow dress underneath, brown tights, brown boots, brown gloves, a brown bonnet, and a thick yellow scarf. "Not you," she said. "Draco."

Ginny nodded knowingly. Then she looked away. "Harry asked me out for today," she said softly. Hermione looked at her. "But I refused."

Hermione put her arm around Ginny. "Don't think about him. We're here for some girl time."

Ginny shrugged. "I'm getting him a gift, though," she said, "And I'm giving Blaise one, too."

Hermione nodded. Ginny and Ron were both staying over for Christmas; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to meet Charlie's fiancée. Harry, of course, was staying in the castle, too. Draco said Blaise would be staying; his mother was dating someone again, and he wasn't in the mood to meet a potential eight step-dad.

"Right, where do we start?" Ginny said.

They entered Honeydukes, where they both bought Ron some candy. He liked candy as a gift best; it made his stomach happy. Hermione bought Toothflossing Stringmints for her parents while Ginny bought _100 Ways to Bake a Cauldron Cake_ for her mum and a bottle of chocolate mead for her dad. They also bought Luna some Sugar Quills, which Ginny said Luna loved to bite on during Charms. Lastly, they got Neville baskets of assorted candy, but left out Chocolate Frogs; his toad Trevor had just died.

After leaving Honeydukes, they had no idea where to go next. Hermione didn't know what to give Draco, and Ginny didn't know what to give Harry and Blaise. They walked around for inspiration. Hermione saw a gorgeous sky blue dress for Ginny in Gladrags. She bought it when Ginny wasn't looking.

"Oh my!" Ginny exclaimed while looking at the Men's Section. There were Quidditch-inspired clothes; robes, jackets, scarves, socks, and even _underwear_.

Hermione grabbed a pack of boxers with Snitches in them. "Harry would love these, Ginny."

Ginny laughed. "I don't talk to him, and suddenly I give him _underwear_?" Then she saw a pack with Quaffles on them. "Blaise would love these…"

Hermione laughed. "Yeah, get him underwear," she said. "It sends out that you want him."

"Wait," Ginny said, the Snitch boxers in her left hand and the Quaffle boxers in her right. "I want them both?" She looked sad and confused.

"You don't need to choose one yet," Hermione said, grabbing the boxers from her. "Come on, let's pay for these."

Ginny sighed and followed her. "Wait," she said. Hermione turned around. "Aren't you getting Draco anything?"

Hermione bit her lip. "I still don't know what to get." She looked around the shop.

A sign that said "Customized Robes" caught her eye. There was a bell beside it. She picked it up and rang it.

"Coming!" a girl said from the back of the shop. She came running out a moment later, smiling. She was young, probably only a couple of years older than Hermione. On her waist was a measuring tape used as a belt, and on her pocket was a chipped wand. "Hey, I'm the owner's daughter. I'm working for some extra Galleons so I can go backpacking in Tibet and study Yetis. Anyway, call me Gigi." She shook Hermione and Ginny's hands. "What can I do for you?"

"Um," Hermione said. "I was wondering… Since you do customized robes… Well, maybe… you do customized underwear, too?" Then she blushed furiously.

Gigi nodded knowingly. "Gift for your boyfriend, huh?"

Hermione nodded, her cheeks pink. Ginny laughed. "Could you stitch a name on a pair of boxers?"

"What's his name?" Gigi said, getting her wand from her pocket.

* * *

Draco sat on the Hog's Head, tapping his foot. _What's taking her so long? If we get late for my arrangements…_ He cupped his face with his fists.

He was very bored. Earlier, he had asked Blaise if he wanted to do some Christmas shopping with him. Blaise gave him a Look and said, "Have you been getting ideas from Granger? We aren't girls, you know." He agreed to at least go with Draco to the Hog's Head for a couple of drinks. Blaise had just left.

The door opened and Draco smiled. _Thank goodness…_

The smile was wiped off his face when he saw that it was Professor Heath. He was wearing a black fur coat and platform boots. He looked every bit like a gay stalked to Draco.

"Draco," Professor Heath said. "Fancy running into you here…"

Draco gulped. "I'm meeting Hermione here. She should be here any minute."

Professor Heath laughed. "Ah. I figured that." He sat down beside Draco and ordered a bottle of firewhiskey from the barman. "Still afraid of me, Draco?"

He leaned in and looked into Draco's eyes. Draco stiffened. He didn't dare blink.

"Boo!"

Draco fell back from his chair. Professor Heath laughed. He collected his bottle from the barman while Draco stumbled to get up.

"Well, I'm off now," Professor Heath said. He looked at Draco for a long time. "Look, knock it off. I've moved on."

Draco's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I've found another blonde to get me through, so you're free to run into me anytime; I won't assault you," Professor Heath continued, laughing. "And it's a girl this time." He walked out of the shop without another word.

* * *

Hermione ran towards the Hog's Head. She and Ginny had parted ways at Gladrags. She was running late; she doubled her pace and continued to run…

BAM!

She bumped into a man wearing a hairy coat. She fell on the snow. Slowly, she looked up.

"Professor Heath! I'm so sorry."

Professor Heath smiled kindly at her. "Miss Granger! It's alright," he helped her up. "Draco's been waiting for you, he's in there," he said, pointing at the Hog's Head.

Hermione nodded. "I know," she said, panting. 'I'm late."

Professor Heath grinned. Dimples appeared on his cheeks, and his purple hair gleamed. His fur coat was rustled as a cold breeze passed by. Hermione _almost _had the urge to swoon. "Go on, he's waiting," he said. Hermione smiled at him before walking towards the pub. "Oh wait!"

Hermione turned around.

"I forgot to tell you… I'm having a Christmas party on Christmas Eve, at my office," Professor Heath said. "I'm inviting students… You and Draco are invited. Tell Miss Weasley, Mister Potter and Mister Zabini that they're invited, too." He grinned at Hermione. "I hope they can work things out. I don't want to miss anyone on my party."

Hermione grinned. "Thanks, sir," she said before turning around and entering the Hog's Head.

Draco was inside, sitting near the bar. He looked overjoyed to see her. He looked very cute in his thick gray Marc Jacobs coat, gray and white Nautica sweater, white Gap pants, Adidas white gloves, gray Gucci boots, and a gray and white Louis Vuitton beanie.

_Your mother has the most impeccable taste in the world_, Hermione couldn't help thinking.

"There you are!" Draco exclaimed. "You'll never guess---"

"If you mean Professor Heath," Hermione said, "I bumped into him outside." She decided to tell him about the party later on; he seemed to be rattled.

"Oh," Draco said. "Okay. Never mind him. What did you get me?"

Hermione blushed. "It's not ready yet."

Draco shrugged. "Alright," he said. He took her hand and led her out of the shop.

"Where are we going?" Hermione said.

"Close your eyes," Draco said. Hermione looked confused, but she closed them anyway. A second later, she felt like she was going into an extremely tight tube…

* * *

"Open your eyes," Draco said, smiling.

Hermione's eyes remained closed.

"Come on," Draco said. "Open them."

Hermione's eyes still didn't open.

"Granger," he said dangerously.

"Are we in Greece?" Hermione squeaked.

"What?" Draco said. Who had told her? He didn't tell anyone, not even Blaise.

"You told me before that you'd take me to Greece sometime," Hermione said. "I didn't know you'd take it seriously…"

"So you weren't expecting it?" Draco said. "You were surprised?"

"Yes," Hermione said, her eyes shut tight.

"Good," Draco said, smiling contentedly. "Open your eyes… come on." He touched Hermione's eyelids lightly with his forefinger.

"Fine," Hermione said. She opened her eyes.

They were standing on top of a rocky cliff overlooking the dark blue ocean. Below the cliff were rows and rows of pretty, white Mediterranean houses. The sky was light blue, and there were a few clouds here and there. The sun was overhead and shining quite brightly. It felt alright to take off their coats and gloves, and they did so.

Near their feet was a big red gingham picnic mat. There was a picnic basket containing salmon sandwiches, green grapes, red apples, watermelon slices, custard cakes, chocolate cupcakes, and a bottle of champagne in a corner.

Draco cleared his throat. "I helped the house elves make those," he said, pointing at the sandwiches. "What do you think?" He looked at Hermione.

He was horrified to find that there were tears in her eyes. "Don't you like it…?"

"I love it," Hermione said, and burst into tears.

Draco stepped forward, aghast. The scene looked familiar. He remembered her birthday; her friends had given her a cake and she had blubbered, too.

"Thank God you still look pretty when you cry," Draco said, cupping her face. Her eyelashes were wet. He kissed her tears away.

Hermione made a sound that was a cross between a sob and a laugh. She hugged Draco. "Thank you so much…"

Draco felt his cheeks grow hot. "Well, yeah… Psh… It was nothing, really…"

Hermione giggled. Then she released Draco and looked at him.

Draco looked back at her. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips.

"I love you."

* * *

Hermione froze.

Draco had told her that he loved her.

She looked up at him with wide eyes.

Draco's forehead creased. He looked a bit scared.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I love you, too."

Draco stood there, blinking. Then his face broke into a smile.

"You have no idea," Draco said, "How long I've waited to hear that…"

"Oh yeah?" Hermione said, smiling. "I should've said it sooner."

"Not that," Draco said. Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I mean, of course I want to hear _that_, I meant…" He suddenly felt discomfited. "Well… I meant… what _I _said. I haven't even admitted that to myself…"

Hermione tilted her head and grinned at him.

"Am I rambling?" Draco said, clearing his throat. His cheeks felt extremely hot.

"No, go on," Hermione said. "I love it. You look so cute."

"Ah," Draco said. "_That_ I know…"

Hermione giggled. "Let's not get you started," she said. "Come on, then. Let's taste your culinary masterpiece."

* * *

They ate and snogged all afternoon. They decided to stay and watch the sun set; the time in Greece was two hours ahead the time in Britain. Since they wouldn't have a problem with Apparition anyway, there was nothing to lose.

After the extremely pretty sunset, and about four kisses ranging from sweet to rough and then wild, they packed the picnic basket and Disapparated.

When they got back to Hogsmeade, a few students were still doing some last-minute shopping. Hermione dashed to Gladrags and picked up Ginny and Draco's gifts. She dashed back out and Draco asked to see it. She refused. Draco threw a mild tantrum.

"I gave you your Christmas gift already, that's unfair!" he grumbled. "You saw it with your two eyes, didn't you?" He was referring to the trip to Greece.

"Alright!" she cried, her cheeks pink. She threw the parcel at him. He smiled like a little boy and opened it.

Inside was a pair of black boxers with the words _Hermione Granger_ stitched on in green thread.

Draco could feel his pants getting tighter. He had to think of Barbary kissing him just to calm himself down.

"Merry Christmas," Hermione muttered, marching towards the castle. She sounded pretty angry. He ran after her and they walked to the castle together silently.

"I really like it," Draco murmured once they entered the gates.

Hermione sighed. "Alright," she said. "I just wanted you to open it at the right time."

Draco smiled. "Doesn't matter," he mumbled. "I really, really like it."

They were climbing up the stairs when a voice called them.

"Draco?" said a male voice. "Granger?"

It was Blaise.

"Why are you carrying a picnic basket?" he asked them.

"We had a picnic," Draco said.

"You had a picnic… in the snow?" Blaise said, smirking.

"Yes, Zabini, now move over, I'm tired," Draco said, elbowing him out of the way.

"I'd rather put off going back up if I were you," Blaise said.

Draco raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah right. Come on Blaise, I really am tired."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Blaise said. "I'm going to the dungeons. Bye, Granger."

He walked away.

Draco looked at Hermione. She shrugged. They continued to climb up to the fifth floor.

When they reached the portrait, the lady and the knight were out.

"Hello?" Draco said. He rapped at the painting loudly. "Come out, you two. I'm really, really tired!"

Hermione looked around. "They must be in here somewhere…"

Suddenly, the portrait door opened.

A tall, beautiful woman opened the door. She had long, light blonde hair that flowed to her waist. Her eyes were very pretty and very light blue. Her nose was long and perfect-looking. Her lips were curved and pink. Her cheekbones were high, and her skin was very pale, but glowing. She was dressed in a black long-sleeved, floor-length Yves Saint Laurent dress.

"MOTHER?"

* * *

:D :D :D

I meant to include Christmas in this chapter, but then doing so would make it too loooooong. I didn't want to give you a hard time. I'll just put it in the next one, I guess. :)


	13. The Number Four

Sorry it took me a while to update. I had a hard time deciding how to write this. This is the longest chapter yet... prepare yourself. LOL

But first, here's a big THANK YOU! to all these kind-hearted people who reviewed: TheDarkLordsQueen, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, Courvoisier, MischiefManaged16, The green-eyed girl, anonymous28, TigerLily8806, aviddaydreamer, TheBigBadWriter, jessirose85, sherriithewriter, jessluvsfang, gcant2, georginacastleorpington, and Miss-Reewa I WILL REPLY TO YOUR REVIEWS ONE BY ONE. lol. You'll see it in your Inbox :)

I have three exceptions. The reviewers are either anonymous or not open to receiving personal messages :)

anonymous28: You're welcome. I appreciate you all VERY MUCH. Haha. Thank you so much for your kind review!

jessluvsfang: Thanks. :) I'm glad you liked that scene. I liked imagining it. Haha.

georginacastleorpington: Here. Now you'll know what happens. LOL Thanks for the review. Nice pen name by the way :)

Another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Favorites lists: Aslantern1, Misha Chevalier, and Miss-Reewa

And another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Story Alert lists: emilzheart, jewelwhisperer, Libertad-latina, BoricuaSuperstar, Bella67x, gcant2, Leaves, georginacastleorpington, Ryoushi-Anya, chocolateshinigami, -TessaChobit-, lovely obsession, iluvmitsukake, Kimiko16, and Miss-Reewa

Lastly, a big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people for adding me to their Author Alert lists: gcant2 and Miss-Reewa (another big THANK YOU! to you for adding me to your Favorite Authors list :D)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It--- I think you know this by now? :D

* * *

"Draco, darling," Narcissa said. She hugged Draco and covered his face with kisses. "I've missed you, dear. How's my little boy?"

"Mother," Draco said, trying to pull away. "Why are you here?"

"Well, Dumbledore led me here, he said this was where you live," Narcissa said, finally releasing Draco. "I just saw your room, dear, it looks exactly like the one you have back home! It's amazing."

"No, Mother," Draco said in a flat tone. "Why are you at Hogwarts?"

Narcissa smiled. "Dumbledore invited me to spend Christmas here! Isn't it fantastic? He told me you'd been worried that I'd be spending Christmas alone. You needn't have, dear, I wouldn't be…" She hugged Draco again. "But that was so thoughtful!" Again, Draco tried to pull away. He looked very embarrassed. His cheeks were bright pink.

Hermione tried hard not to laugh. A chortle escaped her mouth, but she quickly turned it into a cough. Narcissa turned to her.

"You must be Miss Granger," she said. Hermione held her breath and forced a smile. Narcissa's voice was still soft and melodious; it hadn't risen in volume or changed in tone. She took this as a good sign. "The last time I saw you at King's Cross, you must've been thirteen years old. You looked like you hadn't combed for days, and your teeth were horrid---"

"MOTHER!"

"---but things do change in time. My, how you've grown! You look a lot prettier now, dear." Narcissa raised an eyebrow at Draco.

Hermione blushed. "Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," she said. Narcissa had criticized her teeth, not her blood. She felt immensely relieved.

"Oh please, don't call me that," Narcissa said, laughing. Her laugh sounded even better than her speaking voice. Hermione wondered how much more perfect the woman could be.

"Yes," Draco cut in. "You can call her Narcissa."

"Well, that too," Narcissa said. Draco looked confused. "But you can also call me Miss Black."

"WHAT?" Draco screamed.

Narcissa laughed.

"You don't mean…"

She held up her hands (which were white and soft-looking, as Hermione noticed) for Draco to see.

"Mother," Draco said after a deep breath. He stared at her bare hands. "When, why and how did you get divorced?"

"Oh it's such a long story, dear, we must first sit down in this immaculate living room of yours," Narcissa said, leading them in as if the Heads' Quarters were her own. She sat down on the plush gray couch. "Who designed this room? I have to talk to this person; maybe he could redecorate Grimmauld Place…"

"Mother, your story," Draco cut in. He sounded really impatient.

"Oh alright," Narcissa said. "But do follow Miss Granger and sit on that pretty gray loveseat."

Draco sighed sharply and sat beside Hermione on the loveseat.

"Very good," Narcissa said, smiling at Draco. Draco rolled his eyes. "Now I can begin." She leaned back on the couch. "It all started when you left for Hogwarts. I was feeling really lonely, dear. I was all alone in the house." She paused.

Hermione felt her heart being twisted as she looked at Narcissa's face. It looked so beautifully sad.

"I endured that for a week," Narcissa continued. "Seven days, Draco, seven days! I thought I would die of boredom." She closed her eyes dramatically and opened them again. "Well, after that, I decided to go and visit Andy, your aunt---"

"You don't mean _Andromeda Tonks_?" Draco interrupted. It was a known fact all over the Wizarding world that Andromeda Tonks was estranged with her two sisters.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Narcissa retorted, her voice rising slightly. "_You_'re away at school, your father's at Azkaban, and Bella's in goodness-knows-where!" Voldemort, who had taken Bellatrix Lestrange and a bunch of other Death Eaters out of prison a couple of years ago, was rumored to be hiding somewhere in a foreign country. "I didn't know what to do, Draco…"

Draco frowned. "I'm sorry, Mother; I didn't mean it like that. I was just shocked."

Narcissa shrugged. "Anyway," she went on, "I showed up at her doorstep and we had a little reunion." She smiled at the memory. "You should've seen little Teddy Lupin, he's your nephew, you know. I daresay he inherited some of the Black family looks…"

Draco waited until she stopped blabbing about the little baby boy. "I moved out of the Manor and into their house. They said they were glad to have me. Oh, but of course, I've hired a trustworthy caretaker for the Manor. I visited a few weeks ago, and she's doing a great job! Oh, and did I tell you? I went to Fiji with Bella Zabini and her new _Muggle_ boyfriend. I consulted her about divorce, and even she agreed with me!" Draco rolled his eyes. Isabella Zabini had been married seven times, why would she disagree to divorce? "So then I went back to the Tonks' place and Andy helped me get divorce papers at the Ministry. In just a week, I was Narcissa Black again!"

"But Mother," Draco said. "Why did you decide to get divorced?" He wished he hadn't asked as soon as he said it. He knew the answer anyway.

As he predicted, his mother took a sad, pensive air. "Oh, I thought it was obvious, dear. We have different views, your father and I, and he wouldn't respect mine. He expects too much from you and me, and he doesn't treat us right. All those dreadful, lonely years…"

She wiped a tear from her cheek and closed her eyes. Draco felt like crying himself, but he didn't; never in a million years would he let Hermione see him cry.

Narcissa opened her eyes, and her expression changed; this time, she was smiling brightly. "But everything's different now. Oh, and you'll never guess… I've joined the Order of the Phoenix! I'm going back to the House of Black, isn't it exciting? I haven't been there in ages…"

Draco's mouth fell open.

Hermione beamed. "Congratulations, Miss Black!" Narcissa smiled at her.

They both looked at Draco.

"Mother," he said, taking deep breaths. "You got divorced, reconciled with your sister, moved out of the Manor, crossed over to the light side, and sprang out suddenly here at my dormitory. Is there anything else that you'd like to tell me?"

"Oh, yes," Narcissa said. "I met your teacher, Heath Barbary in the hallway. That one who plays for that band you kids listen to on the wireless. He told me to tell you to go to his party on Christmas Eve. That kind gentleman even invited me, too." Narcissa smiled at Draco's frozen face. "Of course, I said yes. He was so dashingly handsome; it would be foolish to refuse."

A loud thud erupted from the floor. Draco had fallen to the floor.

* * *

"Oh dear," Narcissa said, wiping her son's forehead with a wet cloth. "Will he be alright?"

"Yes, yes, there's nothing wrong with him," Madam Pomfrey said in a piqued tone. She walked away from Draco's bed and walked to her office.

"Don't worry, Miss Black," Hermione said. "It happens all the time."

Draco wanted to open his mouth and tell Hermione to shut up. He kept it closed.

Earlier, he had pretended to pass out. No amount of the effect of his mother's surprises could match the effect of the last one.

"I'll just go up to my room," Narcissa said to Hermione. "It's not too far from the Heads' Dormitories. I just need to arrange my things. Could you take care of him, dear?"

"Of course," Hermione said. "We'll meet you at dinner."

Narcissa smiled at her and left.

"Hey Draco, you can 'wake up' now," Hermione said in a sing-song voice.

Draco opened his eyes and sat up. "How did you know I was faking it?" he said sulkily.

Hermione shrugged. "I guess it's because I've seen the real thing." She sat on Draco's bed. "That was mean, Draco. Your mother was so worried."

"Serves her right for having a crush on Barbary," he muttered, cupping his face with his fists. Hermione thought he looked like a cute little boy.

"Well, we better get out of here, dinner will be starting soon," Hermione said, sliding off the bed.

"Not going," Draco said stubbornly.

Hermione sighed. "Have it your way," she said. "See you later." He would change his mind anyway. She left without giving him a chance to protest.

* * *

Hermione looked around the long, gigantic table that had replaced the four House tables and the staff table. Students of different Houses, mostly girls, were sitting on it, eating and talking. The teachers were at the front of the table. Narcissa was at the very end, sitting beside Professor Heath. They were near Dumbledore, who was at the head of the table.

"Who's that?" several students whispered amongst themselves. They had spotted Narcissa, and they had spotted the way Professor Heath chatted with her and smiled at her.

Ginny entered the hall and spotted Hermione. She plopped herself beside her friend. "How was your date?" she asked, piling her plate with some boiled potatoes.

Hermione smiled. Somehow, her little date with Draco in Greece seemed so far away. "It was fantastic." Before she could, elaborate, Ginny choked on her boiled potatoes. Hermione took her wand from her pocket quickly and turned to Ginny. "Anapneo!" she muttered. Ginny took great gulps of air. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ginny said. "Just… I thought I saw Narcissa Malfoy sitting beside Professor Heath is all."

Hermione laughed. "That _is_ Narcissa Malfoy," Hermione said. Ginny looked at the other end of the table again. "Only this time we can't call her that anymore. She's Narcissa Black now."

Ginny looked confused. "She and Draco's dad… separated?"

Hermione nodded.

Ron and Harry entered the Hall and sat beside Hermione and Ginny.

"I'm starved," Ron said, grabbing some sausages and putting them in his mouth. "Waw eryu gus okin bow?"

"Swallow, would you?" Ginny said. Ron did so.

"What were you guys talking about?" he repeated.

Harry, who wasn't in speaking terms with Ginny, just sat there piling his plate with lamb chops.

"We were talking about Draco's mum," Hermione said. "She's over there, right beside Professor Heath." Both Harry and Ron stopped concentrating on their food; they craned their necks to see if what Hermione said was true.

"Blimey," Ron said. "It is her."

"What's she doing here?" Harry asked. He had forgotten all about maintaining his silence.

Hermione told them about coming home from Hogsmeade (she didn't want to explain Greece anymore, it would take too long) and being greeted by Narcissa in the Heads' Quarters. She told them all about her divorce, her reunion with her sister, and the Order of the Phoenix. Lastly, she mentioned Professor Heath's little invitation.

When the female students near them heard the words "Professor Heath", heads quickly turned to Hermione.

"Are you saying that you know who that woman beside Professor Heath is?" Lavender asked.

Hermione didn't even have to answer.

"That's Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother," Daphne Greengrass piped up. She gave Lavender a snotty look. "_Everyone_ knows her. We've been invited to the Manor for dinner a couple of times."

Hermione spoke up. "She's not a Malfoy anymore."

"Excuse me?" Tracey Davis chimed in. All the Slytherins, plus a handful Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, turned to look. Hermione gulped. "Well… um… divorce… Black…"

"Attention, everyone," said a voice from the front of the table. It was Professor Dumbledore. Heads turned to him, and Hermione felt relieved. "I would like you all to meet our lovely guest." He turned to Narcissa and asked her to stand up. "Everyone, this is Miss Narcissa Black. You may know her as Head Boy Draco Malfoy's mother. She will be spending the holidays with us. I would like you all to make her feel welcome."

Narcissa smiled at them all. The students clapped, although Lavender and a few other jealous girls didn't.

The door burst open and everyone turned to look at who had entered. It was Draco, followed by Blaise. They strutted inside and seated themselves at the end of the table.

Hermione caught Ginny looking at Blaise for a moment before turning back to her potatoes. She sneaked a glance at Harry and saw that he was looking at Ginny. Ron was just stuffing his mouth with sausages, as usual.

She sighed.

* * *

Everyone was so excited for Christmas Eve. Professor Heath's party was the holy of holies; everyone who had an invite was a) brilliant b) gorgeous c) popular d) just plain liked by Professor Heath or e) all of the above. Those who weren't invited were determined to crash.

Professor Heath told everyone to come in Muggle-type clothing. Everyone wondered how the Slytherins would react, but they didn't complain. On the night of the party, Hermione decided to give Ginny her Christmas present early so she could wear it to the party. Ginny loved it and couldn't stop saying thanks.

Hermione didn't know what to wear. She scanned her closet for dresses and pretty skirts, but she thought that everything she saw would look extremely scruffy next to what Draco would be wearing.

"Hey, what's taking you so long?" Draco said, entering her room without knocking. He was dressed in a white Armani tuxedo jacket and sweater, black denim DKNY jeans, and black Gucci shoes. His hair was gelled and spiky at the front. He looked like a rock star to Hermione. She put her red skirt down. Maybe she should just come naked… "Why aren't you dressed?" he asked her. She was still in her dressing gown.

"I have nothing to wear," she blurted out.

Draco laughed. "Mother says that all the time," he said. "There has to be something…"

A knock from outside interrupted their conversation. Someone was knocking at the portrait door. "Coming!" Hermione said. She walked to the common room and opened the portrait.

Narcissa stood smiling at her in the corridor outside. Her hair was up and her face was radiant. She was dressed in a tight, long-sleeved midnight blue Calvin Klein dress with a dramatic slit up her thighs, and strappy black stilettos. She twirled around for Hermione. Her dress had completely no back. Her back looked so white and perfect. She turned around again. "How do I look?"

"Perfect," Hermione squeaked. _That's it, I'm coming naked,_ she thought.

Narcissa looked at her dressing gown. "Oh dear, why aren't you ready?"

"I have nothing to wear," Hermione admitted. "Maybe I shouldn't come."

"Nonsense!" Narcissa looked at her from head to toe. She felt herself turning red. "Come with me." Narcissa took her arm, pulled her out of the room and into the corridor.

"Mother?" Draco appeared at the portrait looking confused. "Where are you going?"

"Oh darling, you look so dashing!" Narcissa exclaimed. She grabbed Draco's face and pinched his cheeks. Draco looked like he was going to die from humiliation. "Are those the trousers I bought in New York? They fit you like a glove!"

Draco groaned. "Just go wherever you're going with my date, Mother…"

Narcissa let him go. "Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Come, Hermione," she said. "We'll see you at the party, Draco."

She pulled Hermione towards the stairs and they climbed up to the seventh floor. They walked past the statues and past the Room of Requirement. Finally, they reached the end of the corridor. Narcissa tapped the wall with her wand.

A narrow staircase unfolded from the ceiling. They climbed it and found themselves in a big, opulent-looking bedroom. There was a big white bed with silky drapes at the far end, beautiful wooden bedside and coffee tables, a white couch, and a big wardrobe at the other end of the room.

"This is a secret guest bedroom," Narcissa said while walking to the wardrobe. "Dumbledore told me." She opened the wardrobe and seemed to be rummaging for something. "Aha! Here we are." She pulled a dress out and held it up for Hermione to see.

It was a moss green mini-dress. It had thin straps to hold it up. Part of the torso was missing; the bodice was patterned to show the wearer's skin. Hermione looked at the label. It said Versace. She felt like swooning.

Instead, she looked up at Narcissa. "Oh no, I couldn't…"

"Don't be silly," Narcissa said. "It'll fit perfectly. The torso may be a little long, but we can always alter it with our wands, dear. We're witches, after all. Come on, I insist."

Hermione couldn't stop stammering her thanks.

* * *

Draco entered Professor Heath's office with Blaise. Professor Heath may have his new girlfriend or whoever it is he was "getting himself through with", but he will never again step into his office alone.

Blaise agreed to "guard" Draco because Draco had lent him clothes. He was wearing a gray Dior cardigan, a light gray collared shirt with a slim black tie, black Calvin Klein trousers, and gray Converse canvas slippers.

They looked around. The office was bewitched to be half the size of the Great Hall. There were black streamers and magical spotlights everywhere. There was a small stage in front.

Dozens of people were already there. The trend among the seventh year girls, such as Lavender Brown, the Patil twins, Tracey Davis, and Daphne Greengrass, was short tube dresses in different colors. They all glared at each other for having bought the same outfits.

Ginny entered with Potter and Weasley. Weaselette was wearing a light blue dress; Potter was wearing a pink and blue sweater over a white collared shirt, and brown pants; Weasley was wearing a maroon sweater with a big R in front, and jeans. Draco thought he saw Blaise stiffen as Weaselette had entered with Potter.

Draco looked around. Professor Heath was nowhere to be seen. He looked around for Hermione and his mother, too, but they hadn't arrived yet.

"Looks like your date and your mother are abandoning you," Blaise said.

"Shut up, Zabini," Draco said. "Don't take out your anger on me."

"That's it, I'm leaving you alone," Blaise muttered. Draco whimpered and followed him. "Leave me alone," Blaise said, laughing. "You idiot. Look behind you before wolves start to descend."

Draco turned around. Hermione had entered. She was wearing a short dress that exposed her chest, her ribs, her arms, and her legs. Her shoes were about four inches high, making her legs look miles long. A lot of boys started to stare. Draco ran to her.

"What are you wearing?" he growled.

Hermione turned red. "Does it look bad? Your mother lent it to me."

He took off his jacket and put it on Hermione. "I'll kill her," Draco muttered without thinking.

"Now, now, Draco… that's no way to talk about your mother."

Draco froze and looked up. Professor Heath was standing at the doorway. He was in a black furry tuxedo jacket, a black tie that hung loosely on his neck, extremely distressed and torn black trousers, and his platform boots. He wasn't wearing a shirt; his tanned, broad chest and his rock-hard abs were bare for everyone to see. What annoyed Draco most was that his mother, equally scantily-clad (_But more tastefully_, he thought), was standing beside the man, their arms entwined.

Everyone in the room fell silent. Draco could feel all the girls cursing his mother. They looked like their eyes would be popping any minute.

Then Draco understood. The other blonde Barbary was going after was his mother. They must've met the morning he had gone to Hogsmeade, and stupid Barbary must've fallen in love with her or something. The idea of Muggle attire for the party might've even come from her. He slapped his forehead with his right hand, cursing himself for not realizing sooner. _I'm going to die_, he thought.

"What are you all staring at?" Professor Heath drawled at the crowd. "This is a party. Make some noise!" Suddenly, the lights in the room went out. Just as soon, a bright light appeared on stage. Seven men in furry tuxedos were standing on the stage, and a fog had started to creep on the stage floor.

Everybody started screaming. "It's the Weird Sisters!!!"

Professor Heath strutted to the stage and took his place behind Kirley Duke, the vocalist. He grabbed a bewitched microphone and cleared his throat. All the girls started squealing. "One, two, three, four!" he screamed. Loud rock music started to play.

The crowd roared.

* * *

"Mother, what are you doing with my teacher?" Draco yelled, furious.

"Sorry, darling, I can't hear you!" Narcissa shouted over the loud music.

"I SAID---" He stopped. "NEVER MIND!" He strode away from his mother and stood in a corner to sulk.

"Hey, are you alright?" Hermione cried. She had followed him.

"Can't hear you," Draco mumbled. Even _he_ couldn't hear himself. The music was so loud, and the shrieks from the crowd were even louder.

"Forget about it!" Hermione yelled. "Let's just dance!" She pulled Draco to the dance floor.

They got squished into the wild crowd. He could see Hermione laughing, even if he couldn't hear her over the music. She started dancing funnily. As she danced, the jacket he had lent her fell to the floor.

Draco looked at her dancing. Loud music was playing, the lights were confusing, and the crowd wasn't giving them any space. As he looked at Hermione, a smile was already starting to form in his face. Who cared if his mother was dating his crazy stalker male-student-snogging teacher? He was going to dance with his hot girlfriend and get himself drunk to forget about it.

He pulled her closer and started snogging her in the middle of the dance floor. From the corner of his eye, he could see people starting to stare, but he didn't care. He also thought he saw Blaise dancing with _Potter_, but he couldn't be sure. He was too busy kissing his insanely hot girlfriend to notice.

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes. She felt woozy, and her head was aching mildly. She sat up and realized that she was on the couch at the Heads' common room.

"Happy Christmas to you, sunshine," someone said. It was Draco. His voice was hoarse, his eyes were sleepy, and his hair was matted, but he still looked extremely gorgeous. Maybe it was because he wasn't wearing anything other than his boxers. Hermione wondered how he could stand the cold.

"What happened last night?" Hermione murmured, rubbing her head. She looked down and she realized that she was still in her green dress.

"I think you had too much butterbeer," Draco said. He walked to the couch and sat beside her. "You were dancing with Barbary and Kirley Duke at one point, don't you remember?"

Hermione gasped. She closed her eyes and tried to recall the night's events. She remembered dancing in front of two good-looking, hairy men. "I think I do…" She looked at Draco. "Good grief. What else did I do?"

"You snogged me six times last night, and twice in front of my mother," Draco drawled.

Hermione groaned. "What did she say?"

"She couldn't say anything," Draco said darkly. "Her mouth was attached to Barbary's most of the night." He sighed. "She came in here awhile ago, wishing me a Happy Christmas and giving me my presents. She said she had a change of plan, and that she was going to pop in Aunt Andromeda's and then go on a trip to the Himalayas. Guess who suggested it? Bloody Barbary, that's who. They've gone away together. He says he'll be back in time for the next term." He punched a thro pillow violently.

"No way!" Hermione said, laughing. Draco scowled at her. "Aww, Draco. You poor baby," she crooned, patting the top of his head.

"Shut up," Draco muttered. "Last night, you snogged Barbary, too."

"What?" Hermione gasped.

"Kidding," Draco said. He chuckled. Hermione hit him with a throw pillow. "We just danced and snogged and got drunk, and then we went up and you landed on the couch and I landed on the floor." He clutched his back. "I feel horrible, ugh."

Hermione got up. "I'll get washed and take this dress off," Hermione said. "I still have to return it to your mother."

"She says you're to keep it," Draco said, standing up as well. "It's her Christmas present to you."

"That's so kind of her," Hermione breathed out. She walked to her room and opened the door. She squealed. There were parcels at the foot of her bed. "More presents!" She turned to Draco. "Do you have presents? What time is it, anyway?"

Draco opened his bedroom door so she could see inside. He had an even bigger pile than she did. "I haven't opened them. It's a bit after noon. I bet we're the only ones awake at this hour, though. People looked extremely piss-drunk last night."

Hermione entered her room to open her presents. She got the usual fudge and sweater from Mrs. Weasley, a book bag from Harry, Chocolate Frogs from Ron, a pretty purple scarf from Ginny, pocket money from her parents, a beaded necklace from Luna, and Cauldron Cakes from Neville. Then she saw a small box without a tag. She opened it.

Inside laid a silver necklace with a tiny emerald hanging in the middle. She picked it up and put it on, smiling.

"Draco?" she called. Draco didn't answer. She got up and walked to the common room. Draco wasn't there. She opened the door to his room.

Draco was sitting on the floor near the foot of his bed, his back to her. There were opened presents and discarded wrappers around him.

"Did you get me this necklace?" Hermione said softly. "It's so pretty. Thank you so much."

Draco didn't answer.

"Draco?"

"N-no," he finally replied. "That's not from me." He turned around to face her. He looked angry. "Get out of my room."

"What?" He had never used that tone on her before.

"I said get out of my room, you _Mudblood_. And don't call me Draco. I don't want to see your filthy face in here again, so fuck off. "

Hermione felt a chill go up her spine. He hadn't called her a Mudblood for months now. Was he breaking up with her? He looked extremely angry. She took a step backward.

"GET OUT!"

Hermione ran from the room, shutting the door behind her. She fell to common room floor, panting. She heard Draco lock his door.

She stared at the floor without really seeing anything.

It wasn't the word Mudblood that scared her. It wasn't even the look on Draco's face and the sound of his voice when he screamed at her.

What scared her was that in under four minutes, and for some unknown reason, it seemed like the carefully constructed relationship that she and Draco had built for four months was beginning to crumble.

She heard herself sobbing, but strangely, there were no tears. She let out a scream to calm herself. Shakily, she got up and walked to her room.

It had to be some stupidly cruel joke. She started to feel angry. She had done nothing wrong. He wouldn't just throw everything like that. There had to be a reason.

Tomorrow, once his anger cools, she was going to walk right up to him and demand an explanation.

* * *

Draco leaned his back on his door and slid slowly down to the floor. He could hear her sobbing outside. Afterwards, he heard her scream sharply and briefly. Then he heard her bedroom door slam deafeningly.

He punched his own door and growled because of the pain.

He felt so betrayed. He hugged his knees to his chest and laid his head on top of them.

He wanted to blast his door open and apologize.

But he couldn't. He wasn't like that.

He couldn't see her anymore.

He did the only thing that he could think of doing. It was the thing he avoided doing the most, something he hadn't done for years now.

He cried.

* * *

WHAT A CHRISTMAS. :(

OOH. What is Draco's problem? What do you think? Do tell me :D

About the chapter title... I just thought of the chapter like this: It had been four years since Narcissa last saw Hermione; Narcissa had four major news bits to share with Draco (except for her meeting with Barbary, of course), and Draco & Hermione had been in friendly/flirty/other f terms (LOL) for four months (too bad it only took four minutes for Draco to turn the tables)

BTW, when Narcissa said "we have different views", she meant she isn't a Muggleborn/Muggle hater. (How could she? She worships Muggle clothes)

I just HAD to describe the clothes. Sorry. Haha. For people who love visual representation... These were my inspirations (lol) for the party outfits: (don't forget to take out the spaces!)

Narcissa= http: // sweetfuzz. com/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2009/ 02/ wenn187505. jpg

Hermione= http: // www. solarnavigator. net/ music/ music_images/ rihanna_sultry_barbadian_singer_green_dress. jpg

Ginny= http: // . com/ glamscene/ files/ 2008/ 08/ rachelbilson. jpg

Draco= http: // .blogspot. com/_fdfbXx2lzEM/ SXPBjLa596I/ AAAAAAAAAkk/ pQHpz9ieIyw/ s400/ Emporio+Armani+mens+15. jpg

I can't find a picture that'll do Professor Heath justice! I drew one of him with Narcissa, but I have to make a Devian Art account first, so I can post it.

By the way, I thought you guys should know… I'm thinking about ending this story after two more chapters. It's because writing this has made me abandon my homework and my studies for college entrance exams. I'm thinking about writing a sequel (which I'll write in August, after my exams). So, what do you think is better? Abandoning this story till August, or ending it now and writing a sequel in August? Tell me what you think :)


	14. Getting Over It

I HAVE DECIDED. I'm going to end it at Chapter 15. I'll probably write a sequel, too, I guess (in August or so). Just like what you guys wanted. :D

THANK YOU! to my awesome reviewers:

TheDarkLordsQueen: Wow, you really thought about it didn't you? You have good ideas. I wanted readers to think of those. :P Thanks for reviewing!

LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL: THANKS (smiles)

anonymous28: Hey, I tried all the websites, and they worked... maybe you didn't take the spaces out properly? YES, they're annoying, aren't they? But FanFic won't let me post the urls properly, so I have to space them out :( Thanks for reviewing. :) Oh, and I needed that good luck, too :)

vampiregurl: You'll find out ;) Thanks for the review.

Courvoisier: YEAH, it's so random, right? LOL I almost cried picturing Draco crying too :( LOL Thanks for reviewing :)

blueskyshymoon08: Don't punch Draco, oh no!!! :( He had a reason; you'll see. Thanks for reviewing :)

TigerLily8806: Well, now you'll know what's going on. LOL Thanks for reviewing :)

aviddaydreamer: YOU'RE SMART, LOL. Thanks for reviewing :)

jessirose85: Yeah :( But you'll see what happens :) Thanks for reviewing :)

Spellbound Slave: Thanks :) I'm glad you love it :) Thanks for reviewing :)

MustLuvTwilight: Here it is, lol. Thanks for the review.

jessluvsfang: He has a big problem, lol. Thanks for reviewing :)

lovely obsession: Yes, conflict :) LOL Thanks for reviewing :)

Miss-Reewa: You're Filipino, too! Ayos! Haha. NO, I can't quit school, na-suspend na nga kami temporarily dahil sa swine flu, haha. Pero pasukan na ulit tomorrow... Wow, I really need to study for my entrance exams :)) Thank you so much for your love and support, and for reviewing! :)

Another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Favorites lists: Hicksy59, Swimming-Gal, vampiregurl, MustLuvTwilight, Spellbound Slave, and i live danger-ally

Another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people who added my story to their Story Alert lists: nicebrass2662, vampiregurl, Spellbound Slave, tomfeltonluver07 (ohmygodddilovehimtoo!lol), SapphireRaven2, crystallightwings, and suckerfordrummers89

And THANK YOU!, Spellbound Slave, for adding me to your Author Alert list.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, okay? Happy? You've just made me cry :( LOL

_

* * *

_

_Draco,_

_I have heard from reliable sources that your mother has ended our marriage. I have also heard that she has moved out of the Manor and into her blood-traitor sister's home. My source also told me that your mother has joined Dumbledore's little group against the Dark Lord._

_I guarantee you that the day I see her, she will endure a slow, painful death._

_I have also heard that you have been messing around with Potter's Mudblood friend. I assume you are just toying with her? I assure you, Draco, that if you are not, you will be punished severely. That girl will be the first to die when the Dark Lord's forces penetrate your school. Stay away from her, or I will have her killed. Do not stain the reputation of our family, Draco. Your mother has already done so. Do not make me disown you as well._

_I repeat: if you do not stay away from the Mudblood, I will destroy her. I am capable of doing that; I might just be out of Azkaban soon. _

_And don't you dare join the Order. I'm watching you. _

_Lucius _

It was the fourth time that Draco had read the letter. Still, it hadn't changed.

He crumpled the letter into a ball and let it fall to his bedroom floor.

_* * *_

Hermione didn't get to talk to Draco the next day, and even in the days after that. Every time she woke up in the morning, he would be gone. She wanted to search the whole castle at first, but then gave up after searching the area near the dungeons; it was much too cold.

Besides, she thought, he might be in the Slytherin common rooms, which she couldn't enter. She'd have a hell of a time trying to find out whether he was in the Room of Requirement, too (she'd have to think of how to break in, possibly for hours). He probably wasn't ready to be talked to yet. She decided that she could wait. She didn't want to face an angry Draco again any time soon. Instead, she spent her time studying and doing advance work.

Twice, however, she had spotted him flying alone in the Quidditch pitch. She had groaned at his ingenuity. He knew that she was afraid of flying; he had gone to where she definitely wouldn't be able to reach him.

On the day before New Year's, when Hermione went down for lunch, she heard a strange noise in the broom cupboard near the Great Hall.

"How do we do this?" said a male voice. The voice was too muffled for Hermione to figure out who it had come from.

"I don't know, Blaise suggested it, maybe he knows," said a girl's voice.

Hermione gasped. It was Ginny! She pressed her ear to the door.

A different voice growled. _It must be Blaise_, Hermione thought.

"I never said anything about snogging at the same time!" he snapped. "Why is Pot- Harry here?"

Hermione gasped again. The earlier voice had been Harry's! Why were they all in one broom cupboard?

"Why should I leave?" she heard Harry say. "Why can't Zab- Blaise leave?"

"You two are doing it again!" Ginny screeched. "That's it!"

The door flew open and knocked Hermione to the floor.

"HERMIONE!" Ginny cried. "You scared the shit out of me!"

Hermione gave a nervous laugh. "Hello." She rubbed the side of her head, which ached.

Blaise and Harry were still standing in the broom cupboard. They looked petrified, terrified and mortified at the sight of Hermione.

A very awkward silence followed.

Hermione stood up. "Yes, I was eavesdropping," Hermione blurted out. "And yes, I heard what you guys said inside."

Ginny laughed. "So, have you figured out what we were doing?"

"Um, no," Hermione admitted.

"Good grief, Granger, they call you the brightest witch of our age," Blaise began.

"Yes, yes, I know," Hermione snapped. Everyone said it all the time. "So what were you three doing? Why did you want to snog at the same time? How do you do that?"

"We didn't want to do _that_!" Blaise cried. He clutched at his hair. "Argh!"

Harry's face was pink. Hermione turned to him. "So what, then, were you trying to do?"

"Well," Harry said slowly. "I wanted to kiss Ginny and he wanted to kiss Ginny, and we agreed to share her---"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Hermione let out. "Slow down… You agreed to _share_ Ginny?"

"Yes, we can date her at the same time," Blaise said. He looked like he had recovered from his mini-breakdown. "We decided to at Professor Barbary's party."

Hermione stood there, blinking at the three of them.

"Yes, we know," Blaise said. "It sounds crazy."

Hermione turned to Ginny. "And you _agreed_ to be shared? What are you? A toy?"

Ginny blushed. "I couldn't choose!"

Hermione sighed and patted Ginny on the back.

Then she burst out laughing. "Hahahahahahahahaha! You're sharing… Good heavens…" She doubled over and laughed, temporarily forgetting about her problem with Draco.

"Gee, Hermione," Ginny said. "Easy on the Cheering Charms next time, okay?"

Hermione continued to laugh. Then she saw a guy pass by near them. She realized it was Draco. He was wearing outdoor gear and was carrying a broom. She stopped laughing at once. She wanted to talk to him, but he walked too quickly.

"Wasn't that Draco?" Ginny said. "Why didn't he stop by to nibble your earlobes?"

Hermione looked at Blaise. He looked back nonchalantly at her.

"He didn't even tell _you_?" Hermione asked him.

"Tell me what?" Blaise muttered.

Hermione frowned. Then she burst in to tears.

"Whoa," Harry and Blaise said at the same time, stepping back. Ginny rushed forward to hug Hermione.

In between sobs, Hermione told them about how Draco had been sweet to her one moment and angry the next. She repeated the words Draco said to her, and she described how he avoided her every day.

"That git," Harry said. "I'll kill him---"

"I think I know why," Blaise said. "But I'll have to talk to him first, and check." He walked in the direction that Draco had gone to. He hadn't even walked three steps when he stopped.

"But I'll do that later," he said. "You have to promise me something, Granger. Don't tell anyone about our, uh, relationship first."

Ginny and Harry mumbled words of agreement.

"Sure," Hermione said. Then she thought of Draco, who had walked by them with his broom and had not even stopped by to glare at her or anything. "But…" She paused, looking at the three of them.

They looked back with questioning looks.

She took a deep breath. What she was about to ask them help her with was going to be one of the hardest things she'd have to do in her life.

"I need you guys to help me get over something," she finished.

* * *

Draco entered the Great Hall, shivering. He didn't like flying in the winter. But he had to do it; flying gave him time to think clearly, and being up in the air meant that Hermione wouldn't be able to reach him.

He looked for Blaise, meaning to sit beside him. But then he was sitting with Weaselette, Potter and Hermione. They were having an intent discussion about something (_Probably about me_, he thought). He groaned inwardly and walked out of the Hall. He would be skipping lunch again.

Stupid Blaise had to have his stupid sharing relationship with Potter and Weaselette. He had heard them talking at Barbary's party, and he had seen them dancing and drinking together. Then he spied Blaise and Potter in a very dark corner, taking turns in snogging Ginny. He had laughed himself silly when he found out.

He sighed. The party seemed so long ago. The snogging and dancing he had done with Hermione seemed so long ago, too. He almost felt like crying again. He missed her terribly. He didn't even get the chance to put his pretty gift necklace on her.

But he didn't want her harmed. The letter terrified him. He didn't even know how his father had gotten it delivered to him. He didn't feel safe anymore; he didn't know if his father would just break out of Azkaban any moment. He just found the letter along with his Christmas presents. He recognized his father's handwriting, and he had been momentarily frozen before daring to read the letter. He definitely didn't want to take any chances.

He sighed and went back outside to fly some more.

* * *

Hermione fastened her coat and stepped outside the castle. It was late afternoon, and the sun was to set soon. It was colder than ever.

It would be a long walk to the Quidditch pitch, but she didn't mind.

She didn't _want_ to walk to the Quidditch pitch, but she had to.

Repeatedly, she had to remind herself that it was the only way. She told herself that in the long run, it would be worth it. Nothing was working anymore, and the pain needed to end.

She sighed, seeing her breath in front of her. She continued her journey to the Quidditch pitch.

* * *

Draco landed back on the snow. It was getting late, and he was tired of flying. He was tired, hungry, and cold.

He started to walk towards the castle, but a horrible sight stopped him.

Hermione was in the Quidditch pitch.

Hermione was standing at the topmost stands, watching him.

His first impulse was to run away.

But then he saw her turn her back to him. She walked up to the very top of the stands.

Draco felt his heart freeze.

She had no broom with her.

She was going to jump.

He hopped back on his broom and zoomed upwards.

_No_, he thought. _No, she wouldn't do that_. But she was already at the very top of the stands.

He hastened his speed. Blood was pounding on his ears. He felt his insides grow cold with regret. His heart was beating wildly with fear.

At last, he reached the topmost stands. Hermione turned around to look at him. He hopped off his broom and walked to her.

"Don't do it," he said.

Hermione looked scared. She closed her eyes. He looked at her. She looked so beautiful; her cheeks were pink because of the cold, her eyelashes were wet, her hair was as wild as ever, but it made her look good. She was wearing the necklace. He felt his heart jump.

"Please," Draco croaked. "Don't do this. Not because of me. Please."

Hermione opened her eyes. "It's the only way," she murmured.

Then she spread out her arms at her sides and let her feet lose contact with the floor.

"NO!"

* * *

Draco was paralyzed with shock. She had done it.

A million needles were piercing his chest. He felt like a bucket of ice water was thrown over him.

He heard Hermione scream, and he regained his senses. He hopped on his broom and flew down.

He could see her falling. Her eyes were closed, and she looked terrified. She hadn't stopped screaming.

_Faster_, he thought. _Please don't let her fall, please…_

Finally, he caught up with her. He flew down and caught her in his arms.

Hermione still hadn't stopped screaming.

"It's okay!" he yelled. "I've got you! It's alright!"

Hermione was still screaming. She was shaking uncontrollably.

He took deep breaths. He was shaking as well. He listened to her screams and froze.

She wasn't screaming, she was _laughing_.

"What the…" Draco muttered. He flew into the stands and landed there.

Hermione continued to laugh.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he cried.

Hermione took a deep breath so she could stop laughing. "I… I…"

"Did you do that to teach me a lesson or something?" Draco demanded. He began to feel really angry. "Were you trying to catch my attention?"

"Not really, no," Hermione said. She had stopped laughing, but she was smiling. "I did it for myself. _Mostly_."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Draco muttered. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"I was trying to get over my fear of flying, okay?" Hermione said. Then she started laughing again. "I did it, I fell! Oh my God, I fell!"

Draco growled. "That was so bloody stupid! You could've _died_!" He flinched at the word, and he felt like his heart had gotten twisted at the thought.

"No, I couldn't," Hermione said. She pointed at a tall tree near the stands. "See that there? That's Harry. If anything were to go wrong, he'd fly and save me."

Draco looked at the tree. Sure enough, Potter was near the tree, perched on his broom. He waved at them.

"It's still bloody stupid!" Draco exclaimed. "What if he wasn't able to---?"

"I doubt that," Hermione interrupted. "Besides, there would be something to catch me. Look down there." She pointed downwards.

Blaise and Weaselette were on the ground, and in front of them was a gigantic cushion. It must have been twenty feet high and twenty feet wide.

"Thanks a lot, Malfoy!" Ginny screamed. "That was some bloody good conjuring, all wasted because of you!" She swore incomprehensibly.

Hermione laughed. "They conjured that the moment I got up at the stands. It's going to take a lot of work Vanishing it now."

"It's still bloody stupid," Draco mumbled.

"And how so, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione said in a playful tone. "And why? I thought you didn't care about stupid, filthy Mudblood me."

Draco stiffened. He remembered all the things that his father said. He had an urge to walk away from her again.

But then he couldn't. When Hermione had jumped, he had felt like his heart was being knotted. When he thought she would die, he felt like dying, too. He felt like all the light would be gone from the world. Even on the days when he avoided her, he didn't know how we would get through.

He closed his eyes and thought for a long time. What would his father do?

He realized that he didn't care. He couldn't stand it anymore. "I'm sorry," he said to Hermione.

She jumped and wrapped her arms around him. "I thought I would never be able to hear that," she said, closing her eyes. "Of course I forgive you…"

Draco sighed and pushed her away.

"No," he said. "I'm sorry because I can't see you anymore."

He saw happiness drain from Hermione's face. She looked like she would cry. She put her face in her hands and growled. She faced him again, and this time she looked angry.

"I demand an explanation!"

Draco bit her lip. What would he tell her?

He decided to tell her the truth. She deserved the truth, at least. He reached inside his pocket and gave her his father's letter. The parchment was now crumpled. He wondered if she would be able to read it.

Hermione read through it. Then she looked up at Draco.

"You idiot!" she said.

"Excuse me?" Draco muttered.

"You, Draco Malfoy, are a bloody, cowardly idiot!"

"Hey!" Draco cried.

"I don't care about your father," Hermione said. "I don't care about _anyone_. I'm willing to jump off the Quidditch stands just to get over my fear of flying and be able to fly up to you!"

"Good to know," Draco muttered. He sighed. "You don't understand…"

"I'm not afraid of him," she said. "We can fight _together_, Draco. There are ways…" She crumpled the letter like he did before. "This is nothing. If you really care about me, and if you really care about our relationship, then you'd be willing to fight." She looked into his eyes. "Do you care?"

Draco growled. "What the hell? Of course I do, you id---"

"Then stop being afraid," Hermione said softly. She took a step towards him and touched his face. "We can ask for Dumbledore's help. You can join our side, Draco, just like your mother did…"

Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You can be with your mother," Hermione continued. "And you can be with me."

Draco bit his lip.

"What do you say?" Hermione said softly.

Draco opened his eyes and looked at her for a long time.

"Come on," he said. He pulled her onto his broom and hopped in behind her.

"What…?"

"If you want to get over your fears, you're doing it with me," Draco said. "We'll get over our fears together." They flew out into the cold air.

"Is that a yes?" Hermione yelled.

"Damn it, Hermione," Draco cried. "They call you the brightest witch of our age, you know!"

Hermione didn't even roll her eyes. She felt so happy. She turned around and kissed him.

They were kissing in mid-air, on Draco's broom, and the sun was just setting. They heard Harry, Ginny, and Blaise, their best friends, whooping from below.

Nothing could be more perfect.

* * *

Oh COME ON. You think I'm going to write a sad ending? LOL Although the chapter title was pretty misleading... Haha.

D'you like it? :D


	15. Epilogue: Marching Down the Aisles

All good things come to an end. :( I must say goodbye to my fic, and so must you. :( Haha, not really :) I'll TRY again in August.

170 Reviews! Thank you guys so much! :) (for those who reviewed other chapters - lovedreamergrl and Lane - I'll send out your reviews :D)

anonymous28: Yes, sharing Ginny is very weird, but I just couldn't choose, and I'm sure that Ginny can't, too. Thanks for reviewing. :)

LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL: Thank you for reviewing... every single chapter. Thank you so much. :)

jessluvsfang: I'm glad you like it. :) Thanks.

blueskyshymoon08: Oh no... But I guess that'll do. Thanks. :)

aviddaydreamer: Yeah, the chapter title was meant to scare ;) Anyone would be jealous, don't worry. I might be, too. :)) Thanks for reviewing :)

mionedrayziniriddle: You changed your name! :) Like it. This'll be the last chappie, Your Highness, and I hope you like it. :) Thanks for reviewing :)

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The green-eyed girl: Thanks :) I wanted my first fic to go well, and I'm glad you thought it did. Thank you so much for reviewing :D

sonnetgirl101: Thanks :) It depends... If I'm not busy in August I'll definitely write one. Thanks for reviewing :)

Spellbound Slave: About the necklace... she will just know sometime before the epilogue. LOL. Thanks for reviewing :)

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Kimiko16: Thanks. :) Just the epilogue. Thanks, glad you like it :D Thanks for reviewing. :)

sleeplessinseattle: Cool name! :) This is the last chappie :( Thanks for reviewing :)

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: I'm glad you love it. :) Well... no, this is an epilogue. I hope that's okay. Thanks for reviewing :)

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ahbee . 13: I spaced out your name so it won't be erased. Why can't you picture Draco winking? :( Glad you liked the story. Thanks for reviewing :)

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TheBigBadWriter: I'm sorry, I really have to end it :( And sorry for scaring you, but I like scaring people, LOL. Thanks so much for reviewing :D

Here's a big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people for adding my story to their Favorites Lists: maddie1971, histoire merveilleuse, lovedreamergrl, Kimiko16, BlackCrystalMask, untouched122, earthgoddess36, sweet-tang-honney, ahbee. 13, SakuraGeisha, kaylerr, Confuzzled239, and dejavu14

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And another big THANK YOU! to these kind-hearted people for adding me to their Author Alert lists: The green-eyed girl, Kimiko16 (THANK YOU!, too, for adding me to your Favorites list :D), Xx-Twilight-lover-xX, zcubed, and munkyaround

Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter! Not. I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER, sorry, got carried away with wishful thinking =))

* * *

It was a warm, breezy summer day. Outside, birds were chirping cheerfully, and bees were buzzing from flower to flower. The sun was up in the sky, but there were a few clouds scattered here and there, and the day was temperate instead of scorching.

Hermione Granger gazed at the stone floor below her. A warm breeze passed by through the big open windows, making her long white robes flap at her feet. Her usually wild, curly hair, which was tamed and smoothened at the moment, moved in the direction of the wind. She reached up to pat it and put it back in place.

She gazed forward and saw that the line in front of her had thinned. She could now see the aisle, and she could see all the people seated at the sides of it.

Then it was her turn. Slowly, she stepped forward and began to walk. She walked in time to the tune playing at the big pipe organ placed near the front.

She could feel her throat tighten, and she could feel her eyes brimming with tears.

_All the years have gone by so quickly_, she thought. _And now we're here_. It made her quite sad. She felt a tear drip onto her cheeks. She wiped it and smiled.

A certain Slytherin smiled, too, as he gazed at her.

* * *

He watched her walk slowly towards the front. She looked so beautiful in white. Her hair looked _civilized_ today; Weaselette had done a good job fixing it. It was set in pretty brown waves, framing her face. The necklace he gave her a long time ago gleamed on her neck. She looked radiant in the summer light.

The best thing about it was that she was _his_. He, Draco Malfoy, felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

He couldn't wait for later, when he would be able to kiss her. He grinned at the thought.

"Mate," he heard Blaise Zabini say. "Stop grinning like a loon. You're almost up."

He sighed. Blaise was right. He turned his loony grin into a normal one and stood there, ready and waiting.

* * *

Hermione reached the front and smiled at the people facing her.

They smiled back.

She turned left and looked for her seat. She was to sit in between Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass.

She settled into her seat, smiling at Tracey, who was already seated, and Daphne, who had appeared behind her. They gave her taut smiles. _That will do_, she thought serenely.

She looked at the aisle again, and there was Draco, strutting in his long white robes. His hair was glossy and smartly in place. She smiled to herself; she had seen him spraying his hair again and again with mounds of Fairy's Breath Extra-Hold Hairspray (with Added Shine). Draco spotted her looking at him. He winked at her.

Hermione watched him as he strutted to his seat beside Ernie MacMillan. Theo Nott joined him afterwards.

She spotted Harry next. Unlike Draco, he hadn't made an effort to spruce up (_He doesn't need to_, Hermione thought fondly). His hair was as messy-looking as ever, and his glasses were bound with Spellotape; Ginny had broken them in one of their broom cupboard trysts sans Blaise, and Harry was too lazy to fix them. She saw him wave to Ginny, who was in the sidelines.

After Harry, she saw Ron. His robes barely reached the middle of his calves; he had inherited them from Bill. The embarrassing sight made his ears pink. But no one seemed to mind, not even his Slytherin fan girls.

Hermione couldn't help shaking her head at the thought. _Slytherin_ fan girls. Ron had taken dating Slytherin girls into his liking; so far, he'd broken the hearts of Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, and Tracey Davis. Hermione looked nervously at Millicent, who was a few seats away from her. Surely, Ron wouldn't go past Pansy…

Her thoughts were broken by the sight of Blaise. He was the last one to march down the aisle. His hair was tousled, his face and neck were pink, and his lips looked swollen. Hermione glanced at Ginny. She realized that Ginny looked similarly disheveled.

"Welcome everyone!" said a voice from the stage. "I now open the Commencement Exercises of the Hogwarts Class of 1998."

The whole Great Hall clapped at the Headmaster.

* * *

Draco yawned. Students were being called one by one into the stage to get their diplomas.

"Theo, how many more till they call us?" he mumbled at his seatmate.

"Draco… you aren't going to be called anytime soon. We're getting called by our class rank, remember?" Theo looked glumly at the stage. "In case you haven't noticed, Goyle's just been called."

"Whatever," Draco said. He sank back into his chair and pulled his toga hat over his eyes so he could sleep.

"Trying to get some beauty sleep for your big night?" Theo whispered.

"Shut up, Nott," hissed Draco. He didn't need to be reminded of the coming night's events.

* * *

Hermione sat still on her chair. She hadn't been called to the stage yet. Ron and most of the Gryffindors had already been called. There were only a few people left uncalled now.

"Potter, Harry," said Professor Dumbledore from the stage. "Two-time Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, led his team to win two Quidditch Cups; as Seeker, gained the most points for Gryffindor for a seven-time House Cup victory; Recipient of the Special Award for Services to the School with Mr. Ronald Weasley in 1993; Winner of the 1994 Triwizard Tournament; Fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996; _Dux Ludorum_; Seventh in class." He smiled at Harry, who had turned pink.

"The Boy who Lived!" piped someone from the sidelines.

"The Chosen One!" cried someone from the back rows.

Harry's face was nearly as red as Ron's hair as he took his diploma from Dumbledore. He trudged back to his seat as Padma was called next.

"Zabini, Blaise," Professor Dumbledore carried on after giving Padma her certificate. "Chaser for the Slytherin Quidditch team; Fifth in class." Blaise got up and strutted to the stage. He took his diploma, scanned the crowd for Ginny, and then winked at her. He walked back to his seat while Theo was called to the stage.

"MacMillan, Ernie," continued Professor Dumbledore after Theo went down. "Ravenclaw House; Third in class."

Hermione's eyes widened. She looked at Draco.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

They were head to head for the top spot.

"Malfoy, Draco," came Professor Dumbledore's voice, startling Hermione. "Head Boy, Prefect for Slytherin House; Slytherin Quidditch Captain; as Seeker, gained the most points for Slyhterin House; _Proxime Accessit_."

Draco grinned at Hermione before getting up and swaggering to the stage. He took his diploma smoothly from Dumbledore's hands and blew her a kiss.

Hermione turned red. She felt giddy because of his little display of affection, and relieved because he didn't seem to mind that he was second best next to her and second best next to Harry in Quidditch. Lastly, she felt extremely happy as her name got called.

"Last, but definitely not the least," said Professor Dumbledore. "Granger, Hermione. Head Girl; Prefect for Gryffindor House; Fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996; _Dux Litterarum_."

Everyone clapped as Hermione walked shakily to the stage.

When she went back down, the seventh-years roared and tossed their hats into the air. The sight of dozens of white hats looked pretty against the blue summer sky of the Great Hall ceiling. Hermione looked up at it before taking her cap off and flinging it above her.

* * *

It was a lovely summer night. Stars were twinkling dreamily in the sky, but they weren't the lights people looked at. All around the vast garden was an array of vividly bright fairy lights and blindingly bright magical spotlights. An altar made purely of silver was set at the end of the garden, and more than a hundred seats were placed in the two sides of the long, red-carpeted aisle.

People dressed stylishly in black began to take their seats, and a loud buzz of excitement filled the air.

Hermione smoothed down her black Chanel dress. It was a high-necked dress with a big skirt that was made up of black feathers. It barely reached her knees, and Draco had frowned at her, even as she tried to explain that it wasn't her who chose it.

Hermione looked around, and the woman behind smiled at her. She was another one of the most beautiful women that Hermione had ever seen. She was tall, slim, and elegant. Her hair was a long, silky brown that reached her waist and gleamed in the thousand lights. Her eyes were a warm brown. Her lips were pink and curved, and her nose was long and perfect. The dress she was wearing was just like Hermione's, except that her feathery skirt fell to the floor.

"Draco's so lucky to have you, dear," the woman said to her.

Hermione blushed and stammered her thanks. She turned to the front to save face. She saw Harry, Ginny and Blaise sitting in front. She waved at them, and they waved back at her. They were all wearing black Muggle designer clothes, like everyone else in the garden.

She glanced at the altar and she saw Draco. He was pouting, looking like a little boy again--- a really, really hot little boy. His hair was slightly gelled back (with Gellert Grindelwald's Gorgeous Guy Gel), but several locks had escaped, making him look like he had strategically styled bangs. He was wearing a smooth, jet black Armani tuxedo. He caught Hermione staring at him, and he pouted at her.

* * *

Draco growled when he saw the man beside him. He was wearing a hairy black tuxedo jacket, a small black bowtie, skin-tight leather pants, studded platform boots, and no shirt. His purple hair was as tousled and shiny as ever.

"Like what you see?" Heath Barbary asked him in his husky rock-star voice.

Draco inched away. "Dream on, _Professor_."

"Draco, you've just graduated hours ago," Barbary said. "As I've said a _million_ times, I suggest you call me Heath or better yet, Da---"

Draco turned away so that he wouldn't be able to finish. Never, ever, _ever_ in a million years will he call the git _Dad_.

He growled to himself as he thought about the six months that had passed since his mother had met Heathcote Barbary. They had gone on his stupid Christmas party together, set out to explore the Himalayas, spent Valentine's Day in Paris (where Barbary had proposed while standing on tip of the Eiffel Tower), gone on a holiday in Hawaii, and announced their engagement to the public in a Weird Sisters concert over the Easter break. After that, his mother would visit Hogwarts often and pop into DADA classes for "demonstrations" (_Stupid demonstrations of love_, Draco thought, as he had witnessed them snogging after class more than three times).

The wedding planning was even worse. His mother would take him to excruciating shopping trips. He often had to see Barbary after class; his mother would ask Barbary a million questions about cake flavors and napkin arrangements, and Bloody Barbary couldn't be bloody bothered to think about it. Then they had the nerve to ask him to be their ring bearer; Barbary already had seven best men, and Narcissa thought her "lovely boy" would look so cute in a little boy's outfit. Draco had threatened to run away and not attend the wedding, so he became the eight best man instead. _As if that were any better_, Draco thought bitterly.

Bitter thoughts flew from his mind when he saw Hermione walking down the aisle, carrying a small bouquet of black roses. The march had already started while he was reminiscing.

Hermione looked gorgeous in black. She gave him a pretty smile, and he could feel his insides melting like butter. He felt like _he_ was the groom, and not Bloody Barbary.

Next came his Aunt Andromeda. She looked so happy to be at her sister's wedding. A year ago, they had not even been on _glancing_ terms. Now, they were the best of friends. Draco was glad; he liked the woman, and he secretly liked her grandson, little Teddy Lupin (he'd met them on his first official Order meeting). Little Teddy was the ring bearer, and his mother, who everyone called Tonks, was the flower girl. Draco marveled at how a grown lady with a son could agree to be a flower girl. He shook his head at his mother's charms.

Then, the seven best men began to play the wedding march.

His mother stepped into the red carpet, wearing her long, white and puffy Vera Wang wedding gown. She was the only person who wasn't wearing black, and she was a sight to behold. Her skin was almost as white as the lilies she was holding and bright as the fairy lights perched on the crown of her head. Her long blonde hair was up, and her ears and her neck were decked with diamonds. Her face, free from make-up except for her red-lacquered lips, looked so beautiful that Draco forgave her for torturing him and marrying his crazy teacher.

He felt like crying when his mother reached the altar and took Barbary's hand. It had nothing to do with happiness, of course. But then he saw how happy his mother was.

She looked at him. He gulped.

Then he gave her a small smile. As long as she was happy, then he would try to be happy, too.

_But I'm drawing the line at fishing trips with Barbary_, was Draco's afterthought.

* * *

"And now, you may kiss the bride."

The crowd clapped and cheered as the bride and groom kissed.

"This is definitely the wedding of the year," a socialite from behind murmured.

"Yes, it beats that awful high-flying Ministry official's wedding anytime," whispered another.

Hermione and Ginny looked at each other and bit back laughs.

"It's reception time," Blaise said. "Open bar… 'Scuse me, ladies, I have better things to do than stare at my professor and my best friend's mum making out…Hey Pothead, wanna come with?"

"Sure thing, Zucchini," Harry muttered. They both walked away.

Hermione snorted with laughter. "Oh my God they have _pet names_."

"Oh you don't want to know," Ginny muttered.

"Probably not," Hermione agreed. "Come on, let's go to our table and eat."

"I'll catch up with you later," Ginny said. She gave Hermione a Look before stepping out.

Draco loomed into view. He gave her a small hug. "Hey gorgeous," he whispered into her ear.

"Hey gorgeous yourself," Hermione murmured.

Draco was about to kiss her when he felt someone tugging at his back.

It was Barbary. Draco gritted his teeth. "What the hell do you want?"

"Aren't you going to congratulate me?" Barbary replied, holding out his arms for a hug.

Draco inched away. "I'd rather eat dragon du--- Mother! Congratulations, Mother!"

Narcissa wrapped her arms around her son and kissed him on both cheeks. She didn't seem to have heard Draco's greetings to her new husband. Draco sighed in relief.

"Congratulations, Mi--- um… _Narcissa_," Hermione spluttered. She couldn't get used to saying it out loud.

"Very good, dear," Narcissa chimed, kissing Hermione on the cheek. "I'll just go greet some guests, excuse me." She glided off to the socialites from earlier.

"Congratulations, Professor," Hermione said to Barbary.

"Thanks," he said, moving closer to her and giving her a hug. Draco gritted his teeth again. "But you should call me Heath now." He looked at Draco. "Or better yet, _Daddy_." He pulled away from Hermione, excused himself, and followed his wife. Draco glared after him.

"Cool down, hothead," Hermione said, touching his forehead. Draco looked at her and found himself beginning to smile. He reached in…

"Drake! 'Mione!"

Draco growled.

Tonks was standing behind them with Teddy in tow. "Right, whoa, sorry to interrupt, but can you hold Teddy for me? I can't find Remus anywhere… I need to take a wee _really_ badly…" She placed Teddy in Draco's arms and Draco glanced down, horrified. He had never held a child before. "Right, thanks, see you later." She ran off towards the loos.

Draco blinked down at Teddy.

Teddy blinked up at him. Then, his little pink lips curved into a smile, showing his tiny baby teeth.

Draco had to admit that the kid was adorable. His hair, which changed every few months, was wavy and white (Narcissa just _had_ to color coordinate). He and Draco could've been brothers. His eyes were big and violet. He had chubby cheeks that Draco wanted to pinch (he couldn't; he was afraid of dropping the baby). Narcissa had dressed him in a little black Baby Gap suit, with a black-and-white polka dot bowtie.

All of a sudden, Teddy started to cry.

Draco gave a startled cry. "No, no, no," Draco stammered. "No, baby… no, no, no. No, don't cry!"

He didn't know what to do. He settled for lifting Teddy and hugging him to his chest. Teddy was still crying, so he stepped from side to side, having seen some mothers do it before. "Don't cry," he cooed. "Don't cry little Teddy Bear."

Teddy stopped crying.

Draco sighed in relief. Then he looked up.

Hermione, who hadn't spoken a word the whole time, was looking at him with a mixture of adoration, awe, and amusement.

"What?" he muttered.

"Who knew Draco Malfoy was good with babies?" she breathed out. "Teddy Bear…" Then she burst out laughing.

Draco frowned and turned away. "Let's leave the crazy girl by herself," he said to Teddy. "Let's go join Uncle Potter and Uncle Blaise in the open bar." He walked away.

"Don't you dare!" Hermione said, catching up with him.

"I was kidding, Hermione," he said, laughing. She swatted his arm.

He grinned at her and pulled her closer. She, Draco and Teddy looked like a little family, with the two of them as parents and Teddy as the baby.

Hermione closed her eyes and smiled. Draco tilted his head towards hers and closed his eyes.

Teddy started crying again.

Draco sighed.

* * *

Hermione sat at the bar, running her fingers through her empty glass. She had just finished her sparkling water.

Draco had disappeared a few minutes ago with a wailing Teddy in his arms, anxiously searching the crowd for the baby's mother.

"Have some of this Champ Pain," Blaise mumbled, sliding a glass of champagne toward her. "It's bubbly and ooh…"

"Isss Champlain," slurred Harry. "Campaign… Champagne."

Hermione sighed and stood up.

"Missed me?" a voice behind her said.

Hermione smiled and turned to face Draco. "Finally."

She reached up to kiss him.

Suddenly, Harry started barfing in front of them. They inched away just in time.

"Oops," Harry murmured.

Hermione tutted. "Evanesco!" she said, pointing her wand at the mess on the floor. It disappeared instantly. Harry thanked her feebly.

"That does it," Draco snapped. He strode away, pulling Hermione by the hand.

"Where are we go---"

She didn't even get to finish her sentence. Immediately, she felt herself getting sucked into an extremely tight tube.

* * *

Draco gazed at the sky above them. The moon was nowhere in sight, but it wasn't dark at all. The town below the cliff had so much light that Draco could see the details of Hermione's face clearly.

"Open your eyes," Draco said. "It's been about a minute."

"We're in Greece again, aren't we?" Hermione said with her eyes still closed.

"Merlin. We've been here three times," Draco drawled. They popped to Greece each Hogsmeade weekend, including the last one, which was also his birthday. They had spent the day eating his remaining stash of Honeydukes sweets, opening his presents (Hermione had given him a gold comb with red rubies on it, and a matching brush), and snogging. "The last time was, oh, I dunno, last week? And you still aren't used to it. Good grief."

Hermione laughed and opened her eyes.

They sat down at the edge of the cliff and stared at the black water below them.

"I have a feeling we should be kissing under the stars or something," Hermione said in a soft voice, "But I don't want to. That's what everyone else does…"

"As if," Draco drawled. "You would pass up a chance to snog me? I think _not_."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, I want to snog somewhere else. And," she looked at her dress and tugged at it, "without this."

Draco nodded, smirking. "I catch your drift, Granger." He took his jacket off.

"Oh, I don't think you do," Hermione said. She pulled the dress over her head, and then proceeded to take off her underwear and her shoes.

"Nice," Draco said, grinning. He walked over to her. He was going to grab her but she moved away from his grasp and out of his sight.

She had jumped off the cliff.

Draco froze. He had seen this scene before…

"HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" he yelled down.

"Skinny dipping!" Hermione screamed from below. "I can't believe this! Come and jump!"

Draco sighed sharply and slapped his forehead with his hand. "It'll ruin my hair!"

"WHIMP!" Hermione yelled from below.

Draco frowned and started taking his shirt and trousers off. The things he did for Granger…

Stripped of all clothing, he stood on the edge and dived down.

He could feel the air sucking him down. He went through the water with a loud splash. It was colder and deeper than he'd thought.

* * *

Hermione looked around. There was no sign of Draco.

"Draco!" she yelled. She began to feel scared. She had left her wand at the cliff, so she couldn't make light to search for him. She swam around anxiously.

She felt something move below her. It was Draco. She swam down and pulled him out.

"Draco! Can you hear me?" she said frantically. He wasn't moving. His eyes were closed, and he didn't look like he was breathing.

She hugged Draco tightly and concentrated on the cliff.

Within seconds, they were there. Hermione laid Draco on top of his discarded clothes.

She was starting to panic. She tried to remember how to do CPR. She let out a frustrated cry and started thumping his chest. He wasn't moving, so she opened his mouth and bent down, pressing her mouth over it.

Draco's lips twitched. Hermione immediately felt relieved. She looked at him.

His eyes were open and he was smirking. "I've been waiting for that all day."

"AAAAAARGH!" Hermione screamed furiously.

Draco laughed. He got up, his laughs getting louder and louder. "Why… couldn't… you have used… magic?" he struggled, clutching his sides. "Not that… I didn't… like it…"

"I was panicking, okay?" Hermione yelled. "How could you do that to me?"

Draco stopped laughing, but he was still grinning. "I was just swimming around below the water, wondering if I could see without any light. Huh. Turns out I couldn't…" Then he looked at Hermione. "Now I can," he said, smirking.

Hermione snatched his jacket from the floor and covered herself. She glared at him.

"Oh come on," Draco drawled. "You didn't think I would _drown_, did you?" He rolled his eyes. "Let's face it… you just wanted to have an excuse to snog me."

Hermione continued to glare, but she could feel the corners of her lips twitching. His arrogance was cute and amusing.

Draco sighed. "FINE. I'm… _sorry_," he said slowly.

Hermione laughed. "Okay," she said, sitting beside him. "I was _really_ scared, you know."

Draco smirked. "I know."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you for almost an hour," Ginny said to Hermione. "Your hair looks horrible."

"Oh, yeah," Hermione said, patting her head. Her hair was frizzy and damp.

Ginny pointed her wand at Hermione's hair. The frizz disappeared, replaced by soft, shiny waves. "I don't know what I would do without you," Hermione said.

"I know," Ginny said, nodding gravely. "Excuse me; I have to help the Booze Brothers find their way to the loos…" She walked off.

Soft music started to play. Hermione glanced at the dance floor. The bride and groom were about to have their first dance. She looked for Draco and found him standing by a pillar.

* * *

Draco looked at his mother. Her face was glowing with joy. He hadn't seen her look that happy in a long time.

Barbary took his mother in his arms and danced in the middle of the floor with her. His eyes were glued to her, and his arms were wrapped tightly around her.

"You're still jealous?" Hermione whispered.

"I'm _not_ jealous," Draco muttered. Then he sighed. "As long as she's happy, then… I'll try to be happy, too."

"Good boy," Hermione said. "Let's drink to that." She wanted to dance, but she figured he wouldn't want to.

"Since when have you been an alcoholic?" Draco said as they walked to the bar. They sat as far as possible from Harry and Blaise, who were now taking shots of firewhiskey mixed with tequila.

"Just for tonight," Hermione said. "Two glasses of champagne, please!"

They sipped at their drinks, watching the dancers on the floor. Everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves.

"Look, Teddy's dancing with his Mummy and Daddy," Hermione said, pointing at the Lupin family. "So cute…" She sipped some champagne.

"Hey Hermione Granger, move in with me?"

Champagne came sputtering out of Hermione's mouth.

"You can say no," Draco said, wiping his cheek. "You don't have to spit your drink all over my face…"

"S-sorry," Hermione stuttered. "D-did I hear you correctly?"

"_Yes_, I told you that I'm gay and I have a life-long crush on Potter," Draco muttered, turning away.

"You really have a way with invites," Hermione muttered.

Draco didn't turn around.

Hermione wanted to say that they were too young, and her parents would freak. She thought for a while. "But you don't have a house," Hermione said instead. "No one lives at the Manor, remember…? Your mother's moving in with Professor Heath in his mansion…"

"I have money," Draco said. "We could go looking for a place."

Hermione glanced at Draco. She thought of what her parents would say. "Draco… We're too young," she finally blurted out.

Draco frowned. "We're _of age_. Even in the Muggle world."

She sighed.

"Stop making excuses," Draco mumbled. "You can say no if you don't want to." He looked dejected.

Hermione decided that she'd be willing to take in whatever her parents had to say. She laughed. "I've been living with you for the past ten months," she said. "What do you think?"

"That's a _no_, then," Draco mumbled, pouting.

"Don't play dumb," Hermione said, laughing. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy, I'll 'move in' with you." She turned his face in her direction. "Just… we'll need a place with a spare room for your hair products…"

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. "We'll need extra space for your _hair_…"

Hermione touched her hair and shook her head disbelievingly.

He grinned and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Frizzball."

"Love you, too, Barbie," Hermione whispered.

"Who the bloody hell is Barby?" Draco asked, ruining their sweet, cheesy little moment. "Or did you say _Barbary_? _Barbary_? What're you---"

Hermione shut him up by kissing him on the lips.

* * *

* * *

The End :( :| :)

Did you like it? Did I wrap things properly for you? Do tell me :D

You know, I wanted the first scenes to look like a wedding. LOL.

Those Latin words Dumbledore says about Hermione, Draco and Harry.. they're just fancy schmancy words for Dux/Valedictorian, Second Best and Best in Sports. LOL. I had to do some research. Haha.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING. This fic is my first, and I LOVED writing it. Sadly, I have to stop. If I continue writing, I'm going to lose my study time. I BADLY NEED IT. So... goodybe for now :)


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